


Souls, Forever Linked

by TheHardestFall



Category: Little Witch Academia, Soul Eater
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-07
Updated: 2018-09-24
Packaged: 2019-03-28 01:57:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 34
Words: 64,009
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13893807
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheHardestFall/pseuds/TheHardestFall
Summary: Akkos biggest dream was to be just like her hero, Shiny Chariot, and save the world from evil. Her only problem was finding a demon weapon who could handle pairing with her. Meanwhile, top student Diana Cavendish was looking to follow in her mother's footsteps and become a death scythe, however for that to happen she needed a meister. What happens one fateful day when their worlds collide, throwing them down a path neither girl could have ever expected?





	1. Chapter 1

**Well here we go! I'm not quite sure where the idea came from but I hope you all enjoy reading this as much as I enjoy writing it! Rated T for now, might change later depending on where the story goes. Massive thank you to my awesome beta for helping me get everything polished up and ready to go! Enjoy, and don't forget to leave a review! I thrive off of feedback! Just keep it constructive. No flames, please.**

**Cover image credit goes to Paradoxigent on DeviantArt.**

**I do not own Soul Eater, Little Witch Academia, or any of the content contained therein. I do, however, own a 50-year-old tuba. Low brass FTW!**

**Chapter 1**

Akko paced nervously, back and forth across a five-foot stretch of hallway. Today was the day she would be paired with a weapon and become a fully fledged Meister. She'd spent one semester learning the basics and then next semester she would have a weapon partner to train with. Then hopefully by the end of the year she, would be on the hunt for her first kishin egg.

All she had to do was find a partner. Something much easier said than done. She wasn't the best student. She certainly tried hard but most of her grades hovered around C+, and most weapons wanted to be paired with someone who had more academic success. Better grades meant more knowledge, which lead to being a better meister. And a better meister was a meister who could actually turn them into a Death Scythe—an incredibly powerful weapon used by Lord Death himself. And that was the goal of just about every weapon there.

The other problem she had was matching soul wavelengths. A good pairing had wavelengths that complimented each other. Hers, so she was told, was so prickly, spiky and sporadic that no one could match with her. That's why she was standing outside the New Moon Classroom with about a dozen other weapons and meisters from the Especially Advanced Talent (E.A.T) class. All students across Akko's grade who were also in the E.A.T program that couldn't find a partner for one reason or another were going to attempt to pair up. If she, along with any of her classmates couldn't find a partner still, well, there was always next year. However, it would get harder as time went on.

That was Akkos deepest fear. That she couldn't find a partner and wouldn't be able to save the world like her hero, Shiny Chariot…

A sudden silence pulled her from her thoughts. Looking around, she quickly saw what the fuss was about; Diana Cavendish had taken her place amongst them. Word on the street was that her meister, Andrew, had withdrawn from the DWMA and left her high and dry. Now she needed a new meister. Everyone would be jumping at the chance to pair up with her since she was incredibly smart and talented. The majority of Akko's grade believed she would become the next death scythe.

After what seemed an eternity, the classroom door opened and the professor poked her head out "Ok everyone, come on in!"

Akko couldn't help but be nervous. This would make things a lot harder if it backfired. She would find a way, she always did, but she really needed things to go her way. Just this once

Diana shuffled in with the other students and looked around. Unlike the other classrooms, this one was clearly not built for lectures. The floors had a sort of foam padding covering it and there were no chairs or desks. The ceiling was higher and the lights where brighter. With the padding on the walls, it became clear to Diana this was a classroom built for combat practice.

"Ok class, gather around." The students filed in around the teacher, forming a semicircle.

"For those of you who don't know, I'm professor Ursula. I coach new teams in combat techniques and specialize in sword meister combat as well. Because of this, I offered to help you all. So first off I'd like you all to form two groups, meisters on my left and weapons on the right," she said as she patiently waited for the (students) to separate.

Diana listened as Ursula explained to the students what was going to happen. They would take turns coming forward and holding hands, letting their soul wavelengths touch and see who worked well with who. They would go until all students had tried with at least one other person. "And don't worry if you don't find someone! We have two more sessions scheduled. Alright, who's first?"

The kids all looked around nervously, one or two murmuring. Diana sighed and was about to step forward when another girl did. Ursula's face lit up. "Oh thank you, Harriet! Okay, now we just need a Meister! Any takers?"

Again, silence.

After a minute, a short thin girl with deep red hair came forward. "Piper, way to go. Alright, now stand facing each other, almost toe to toe.  _Good_ , now hold out your right hand and take each others, like you're about to arm wrestle. That's it, now here comes the hard part. Close your eyes, take a deep breath and relax…" Ursula stepped over to the wall and dimmed down the lights, changing the mood to a more relaxed one.

"Now, feel your wavelength ebbing and flowing through your body. Feel the rhythm and the hum. When you're ready, reach down your arm with it to your palm and fingertips, then gently push out to your partner. Not hard, you're not attacking the-" there was a flash of light and a yelp. Diana shook her head, trying to clear her eyes. As her vision came back, she looked around, trying to get her bearings. Harriette was standing in the same spot, a stunned look on her face.

Following Harriette's gaze, she saw Piper laying on the floor, Professor Ursula hovering over her. "Easy now… that's it. It's okay, you two just pushed too hard and that's perfectly normal, and why we do this in a classroom with padded walls and floors." Ursula said as she helped the young girl up. Piper stood still for a minute before half walking, half wobbling over to her group.

Looking around, Diana took note of the fear creeping onto the faces of her fellow classmates. Now that there was an added chance of injury, things just got very real for everyone. But that was no reason to stop—both Diana and the Professor knew that. That's why when Professor Ursula asked for a new volunteer, Diana didn't hesitate to step forward, her face void of any expression, but her eyes full of steely determination

"Excellent! Now, who wants to try pairing up with Diana?" The words were hardly out of her mouth when almost all of the Meisters shoved forward at once.

Finally, a mid-height girl with violet hair managed to push through the jostling crowd. "Lily, good job!" Ursula said with a nervous laugh. Diana was popular, but the meisters were acting crazy "Okay, now stand in front of each other and join hands. Good. Now relax and reach out when you're ready."

Akko watched with bated breath. She couldn't understand why everyone wanted to be with Diana though. She was prissy, and kind of stuck up. She'd never said more than 3 words to Akko. Also, her two lackeys were total bullies.

The room was silent as the two girls joined hands. There was a minute where nothing happened and Akko wondered if anything would but then there was a flash of light and Diana went flying backward. It was surprising for sure, but it was probably just a fluke. It happens after all. Diana would handle it. She could handle anything.

And that's why it was such a surprise when she joined hands with Piper and nothing happened.

Or Thalia.

Or Dani.

Or even Jose.

Akko always thought Diana could do anything. She was from an accomplished family, in fact, her mother had been a Death Scythe. She studied hard and seemed to know everything about everything. But apparently, the one thing she couldn't do was match wavelengths.

So Ursula opted to bench her. She hid it well, but the raven-haired Meister could tell the young woman was upset and maybe a little scared. She was a Cavendish, one of the oldest and most prestigious families in the history of demon weapons. They had produced a dozen or so death scythes over the years, and while she was striving to follow the footsteps set by her ancestors, she wouldn't be able to do that while she let hiccups like this get in her way.

Professor Ursula continued to coach the students, always breaking into a big smile when matched pairs hands began to glow a soft golden color and the kids hugged- or became a comforting, soft-spoken supportive figure when the things backfired on the kids.

They passed over the hour mark and continued on into a second. They were approaching a third when the group dropped down to 4 and 3. One Meister had to leave due to an appointment, which left, among others, Akko and (surprisingly) Diana.

Akko was having a difficult time as well. She almost invariably went at it too hard and sent people flying. She wasn't trying to, but she was just so eager and her soul was so erratic.

That's when Ursula got her big idea. "Okay, I'd like to try Akko and Diana this time, if you two don't mind that is."

Akko gulped.

Diana sighed.

Ursula clapped her hands together and smiled "Perfect! Okay, let's give it a shot!"

Akko stood still, too nervous to move. God, if she somehow hurt Diana, the star of the Death Weapon Meister Academes Freshman class, the repercussions would be horrible. Not from Diana herself, she was too refined for that, but from the student body. Maybe even a teacher or two.

Diana, on the other hand, just sd stepped forward. After giving it a minute, she put a hand on her hip and spoke probably the longest sentence she'd ever said to Akko "Well, are we going to do this? I don't have all day, Akko."

The brunette finally found her legs and managed to walk forward and face the blond. She was more intimidating up close, with her piercing stare and imposing stance. She put her hand up.

Akko looked at Professor Ursula. The woman gave a kind smile and an encouraging nod. Drawing her courage and strength, she reached out and took Diana's.

Both girls closed their eyes and bowed their heads. Their breathing slowed as they began to focus.

_Easy...you can do it Akko. Just nice and easy...don't poke her...like the tide...just brush nice and easy…_

_Relax...I can't do this if I don't relax...Breath..._

Their souls met tenderly, almost dancing around each other. Akko tried to keep her's under control, to tame the energy, to not blow Diana up. She tried so hard but she couldn't keep it up.

_I'm sorry Diana..._

She lost control.

She lost control and nothing happened.

Trying to focus, Akko tuned into what was going on and couldn't believe it. Diana's soul seemed to be absorbing her energy and using it. It was sucking out the energy, using some of it, and throwing back what it didn't, energy that Akko gave right back. It was incredible! Akko let loose and completely gave up trying to restrain herself. Nothing changed! Diana continued to siphon off Akkos energy without any problem.

Meanwhile, Diana was stunned by the sheer power Akko had, and that she had enough to counteract her soul's unfortunate qualm and still have so much to spare. She easily filled the metaphorical black hole that was Diana's soul and still had enough that she didn't pass out or get hurt.

She felt something shift inside her, and then the rhythm flowing through her body changed to match Akko's. She was still taking in Akko's energy, but rather than just absorb it, she pushed it back to Akko, who pushed it back to her again. And with this came power. An intense, hot, burning power she didn't know existed.

Meanwhile, neither girl noticed the commotion they were causing. With Akko letting loose like she did and Diana reacting the way she did, both girls managed to kick up a very powerful wind that sent mats and students flying, while their joined hands continued to glow with a soft golden light.

Ursula ran forward and pulled the girl's hands apart. "Okay, you two! You're definitely a match! Please, just calm down now!"

Both girls snapped out of it and opened their eyes. The room was disheveled. Mats were thrown around and the students had fled. They were the only three left in the room.

Diana found her voice first. "Professor, what happened?"

Ursula smiled a huge grin. "You two matched! You're a perfect match! "

The two looked at her, and then each other. Akko the screw-up, the C+ student, and Diana the overachiever perfectionist. How in the hell could that have happened?


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"You matched with Diana?!"

Akko had gone home and told her roommates, Lotte and Sucy, about what happened and neither could believe it.

Lotte hugged her friend. "Akko shes so good! If you make it work you could become a very powerful meister!"

"Yeah, or it could blow up in your face." Sucy countered with what Akko believed to be a very valid statement.

"Sucy, don't make her more nervous! How did Diana handle it?"

"Well, when everything calmed down it took her a minute to process. Professor Ursula said for us to meet with her tomorrow for a bit of specialized training. I couldn't read Diana at all but… guys, we had so much power it was incredible. We could be so good…"

"You need to study more then. It takes more than just power to become a good team. You need to know how to handle situations properly. It's not just you anymore, you have to protect Diana as well."

Sucy nodded in agreement. "As a meister, you need to protect and wield your weapon well. As well as grow strong so they can grow strong. You're a team."

(~*~*~*~*~*~)

Akko nodded "You're right. I'm going to do my best to turn her into a death scythe and save the world!"

"You got paired with Akko?!"

"Diana, you're done for!"

"You need a better partner or you'll never be a death scythe!"

Diana had just informed her roommates, Hanna and Barbera, about what had happened. Both were up in arms. More so than Diana. Diana was annoyed of course, but the power she had felt made up for her annoyance with her partner. She'd never felt that kind of power. Not even with Andrew. And it flowed so naturally between them it was like they were meant to be partners.

All things considered, maybe it wasn't such a bad thing. No, Akko wasn't the smartest. And yes she was a clutz, but maybe, just maybe, Diana could make up for what Akko lacked. Maybe this could work. She, at the very least, could keep an open mind. What other option did she have? She certainly couldn't wield herself.

And she didn't think she could find someone else who could deal with her handicap. It was an unfortunate quirk in the Cavendishes genes. Every couple generations, someone would be born with a soul that sucked in energy, like a black hole. Andrew had dealt with it by very carefully feeding her energy, but that hadn't been the best answer. It made it hard for them to fight. Akko, on the other hand, had so much she could overwhelm and fill the black hole with ease.

Her roommates were still yelling at her. Both meant well but Diana was beginning to get a headache. "Ladies! I will continue with Akko as my meister and see how things work out. I thank you both for your concern but I assure you I will be fine."

I am a Cavendish after all. And besides, who else could possibly be strong enough to wield me? Akko might just be the only person who could...

Meister and weapon looked at each other then back to the blond. "Well...okay. As long as you're sure Diana…"

"I am."

They both nodded. "In that case, I'll go start on dinner." Hanna gave her a smile and left with Barbara not far behind. They were honestly good girls at heart. And they really did care for her. However their nannying sometimes got on her nerves. She sighed and went into her room, shutting the door behind her she sat down at her desk and cracked her book on advanced sword techniques open. While she couldn't wield herself, she still liked to know what Akko would be doing with her. What an odd thought…


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

The next morning found Akko up nice and early. Well, she made a noble attempt anyways. The alarm went off, she snoozed it. It went off again, she snoozed it. If it weren't for Lotte waking her up 45 minutes later she would have slept clean through till noon. It took her about 30 seconds to process what Lotte was saying before she realized she was on the verge of being late. Lotte had never seen Akko move so fast as she got up, dressed and out the door in a matter of what she could have sworn was seconds.

Diana was already waiting when she arrived, out of breath and with a minute to spare. Akko honestly couldn't believe it. She figured Diana would have bailed on her "Y-you're here!"

The blond rolled her eyes. "Of course I am! I agreed to attempt to partner with you, did I not?"

"Well, You never actually said yes and I figured…"

"Akko, I may not have said yes, but I didn't say no ether." Akko couldn't help but smile, and before the professors walked in, she could have sworn she saw the ghost of a smile on Diana's lips as well.

Ursula clapped her hands together "Okay ladies! This is Professor Nux and Professor Trinity. They are E.A.T. teachers and a very accomplished pair. Today, we're going to run a combat simulation and see how you do. This is only to get an idea of your capabilities. Once I have an idea of what you can do, I'll make a lesson course tailored specifically to you both. I'll turn it over to the professors now."

The man named Nux stepped forward. He was a huge guy, at least 6'5" with long coal black hair. He was wearing combat boots and a long black trench coat as well as a top hat. He also had a thick mustache and beard, that had a touch of gray. Even through his coat, Akko could tell he was very well built.

He spoke with a deep thundering voice that made Akko jump. "Ladies, you may be freshmen but don't expect me to hold back. I am an EAT teacher, and a professional Kishin hunter. We both are. Due to the nature of this fight, we will fight until a team yields. You must fight your hardest so Professor Ursula can gather the best data, do you understand?"

Both girls nodded.

"Alright then. Trinity let's go!"

"Right!" the shorter, thin set professor jumped into the air and in a flash of light changed into a wicked looking scythe with a long, jagged blade.

The Japanese girl suddenly felt very, very small.

Diana cleared her throat and gave Akko a look. "Are you ready?"

Her partner nodded and held out her hand. Diana sighed and then changed.

Akko wasn't quite sure what kind of weapon Diana could change to, so she was a bit surprised when an Elizabethan style rapier landed in her hand. The blade was bright silver, with the wrapping on the hilt being some kind of tea green leather, the color of Diana's highlights.

The crossguard itself consisted of an actual crosspiece that was a very pale gold and then had a cage piece that swept back to cover Akkos hand. It wasn't solid, it seemed to be made of wires that swept back and were designed to look like loosely woven Ivy vines, with a sky blue crest in the middle. It was a little hard to tell but to Akko, the crest looked like it had a unicorn on it.

"If you are done gawking, we have business to attend to."

"Oh, right." she hefted Diana into a ready stance. She knew a bit about sword use but not much. She would have a lot of training to do if she wanted to turn Diana into a death scythe, that was for sure…

"AKKO!"

Akkos head snapped up to see Nux closing the gap between them. She just barely got Diana up in time to block the blow. Pain rocketed up her hand all the way to her shoulder but she managed to stop the attack from coming through. After a second of pushing, Nux broke off and then began a barrage of quick attacks Akko could hardly follow. One glanced off Diana's blade and crashed into the crossguard, which forced Akko's arm back, throwing her off balance and sending her to the ground.

She lay there, stunned, for a second before Diana started yelling "Get up! Don't lie at your enemy's feet unless you want to di- AKKO, ROLL NOW! "

The urgency in her voice got Akko moving quick. She rolled to her left and yelped when there was suddenly a scythe blade where her head had just been.

This is bad. He's not taking it easy because we're students! He's coming at us like were real targets! What do I do?

Noticing Nux yanking on his stuck weapon, Akko scrambled up and, hefting Diana, charged at him. It was a good plan, but unfortunately, he got Trinity out in time and swung at Akko with the back of his blade, hitting her dead square in the ribs and sending her flying, knocking Diana from her hand in the process.

Akko slammed into the wall and slid down it. When the stars cleared she looking around frantically for Diana. The blond was 40 feet away, human, and struggling to get up with Nux standing over her. She must have been dazed because she didn't seem to be aware of it.

You have to protect your weapon as well…

Protect your weapon.

"NO!" Akko threw herself across the room and into Nux. He didn't fall but it was enough to make him stagger. Diana managed to scramble out of the way just as Nux got a hand on Akko and pinned her to the wall, Trinity at her throat and fire in his eyes. She felt hot liquid running down her skin. Somewhere in the back of her mind, it registered that it was her own blood...

Then his expression changed to one of shock.

"Drop her." Dianas' voice commanded from behind him. She had managed to change her arm into a blade and then got behind Nux and pressed the tip into his back.

He dropped Akko, who fell to the ground coughing "Now move away from her, slowly."

They moved in a semi-circle so Diana was close to Akko.

Before he could do anything else Ursula was grabbing him and yanking him back away from the young women. Diana changed her arm back and then knelt next to Akko while pulling out her handkerchief. Gently, she pressed it onto the cut, trying to stop the blood coming out of the cut on Akkos neck. She was lucky it was only a flesh wound, if he had pressed harder it could have clipped one of her carotid arteries and it would have been game over.

Meanwhile, Ursula got in the significantly larger man's face. His partner had transformed back and she didn't look too thrilled either. "You could have killed her, Nux! Scaring them is one thing but real harm is crossing the line! You're done!"

He humphed. "I roughed her up a bit big deal. If they can't handle that then the E.A.T. program will eat them alive. Let's go Trin."

The room was quiet after they left except for Akkos labored breathing. Ursula came back over and knelt next to her. "I'm so sorry girls. I didn't know he would be so rough on you. Diana, can you bring Akko to the infirmary? I need to file a report on this."

Diana nodded "Of course, professor. Can you stand Akko?"

"I-I think so…" Diana helped her partner to her feet and slipped an arm around her for support. Together the slowly made their way out of the classroom and off to the infirmary


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Once back inside her office, Ursula sat down in her chair with a sigh. That could have ended much, much worse than it actually did. She should never have asked Nux. That was her fault and her fault alone. She wanted to push them but failed to take into account Akkos current abilities. She would have to rethink this whole thing.

She kicked back from her desk and rolled her chair over the corner that had a mirror and wrote on the glass with her finger, "42-42-564, whenever you want to knock on death's door…"

The mirror rippled and started to ring. A few seconds later, Lord Death himself appeared in the mirror. "Hey hey hey what's up? How's it going, Ursula? Long time no chat!"

Ursula chuckled nervously "I know. I'm sorry sir, these extra classes have been eating into my time lately."

"You work too hard! Maybe it's time for a vacation? I know this wonderful spot in Florida!"

"Thank you, sir, I'll keep it in mind. Right now I'd like to report in on Akko and Diana."

"What about them? Oh dear, did Miss Kagari cause another explosion and catch Miss Cavendish in the crossfire?"

Ursula sighed. "No, sir. They had the training class today. Remember they're the ones who resonated out of the gate."

"Hmm… Ah yes! Please, tell me how did that go?"

"Well…" she went through the whole incident. When she finished, he was quiet for a long time. After what seemed to be an eternity he finally spoke. "Well, for now, I'd like you to continue to train them. Keep them on track and keep them focused but don't discuss resonating with them just yet. I'd be afraid they would hurt themselves. It sounds to me like they don't quite understand what's happened. "

"Yes sir, of course"

"Good! Oh and tomorrow, I would like you to come down to my room. I have a few reports I'd like your opinion on."

"Sir?"

"It's on the Greek situation. I'd like to utilize your strong tactical abilities."

Ursula perked up. "Oh! Yes sir of course!"

"Thank you! Well, that's all for now! Have a good night!" Before she could get another word in, he disconnected, leaving the room dark and silent once again.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Akko lay in bed later that day staring at the ceiling. She had made it through with just two bruised ribs. The nurse had looked her over to make sure the powerful blow from Nux hadn't broken anything or caused internal bleeding and then sent her home for the day to rest. It wasn't so bad, she was only missing three classes and was grateful for the down time.

A soft knock on her bedroom door pulled her from her thoughts. "Come in."

The door opened and Diana of all people came in, a folder and two books in her arms. Akko sat up with a bit of difficulty "Diana? What are you doing here?"

"You missed class, I thought perhaps you might want notes and homework."

"Oh, yeah thanks. Just set them on the desk please." The blond set everything down before walking over to the edge of the bed. "How are you feeling?"

Akko sighed and looked down at her feet. "Sore and tired. What about you? Here you can sit, it's ok." Akko slid over and gave Diana a smile. Her partner gave her a polite smile but instead reached for the chair at Akko's desk and set it next to the bed before sitting. "I am doing fine, thank you."

A thick silence seemed to settle over them. Both girls wanted to say something but neither one knew what. Finally, Diana broke the silence "Akko?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you for looking out for me in that fight."

Akko was a bit taken aback. What she was saying seemed genuine "Y-you're welcome. We're partners, we have to look out for each other."

Diana nodded. "That's true. However, I never should have let myself get into that situation in the first place." She knew they had had their butts handed to them. She also knew that there was a very real chance Akko had saved her from serious injury from Nux. She didn't know for sure, but she felt like he wouldn't have pulled back because she was a student.

And then there was the other problem. She had lost her grip when she got hurt and changed back. To make matters worse she had barely been able to change her arm back and take control of the situation, and then on top of that Akko had still gotten hurt. Her meister had gotten hurt. Because of her. Akko read her mind. "It's not your fault, Diana."

"Akko…"

"I didn't lift you up fast enough to stop the blow that got us into the situation in the first place. You didn't do anything wrong, please don't blame yourself."

"Look, how about we both accept some fault and agree we need to do better?" Akko nodded but still saw the sadness in Diana's eyes.

"Hey, here's an idea. How about we start training together on the side? That way we can get more practice together!"

Diana nodded "I believe that would be a good idea. I can also take some time to assist you with your school work."

Akko blinked and burst into a huge grin. "You'd do that?"

"Well, it wouldn't do for me to have my meister flunk out now would it?" She made it sound like she didn't care too much, but Akko had a feeling she really did. "Thank you Diana."

Diana went to reply but was cut off by a knock on the door. After a second, the door opened and Lotte poked her head in. "I'm sorry to interrupt. Akko, dinner will be done in a minute, will you be eating?"

"What are we having?"

"Oh, Sucy is making her Mushroom Soup!"

Akko let out a huge groan that startled Diana. "Nooooo."

"No no it's okay! I made her promise not to use the poisonous ones this time! You won't get sick!"

Diana couldn't help but admire how cheery the girl was. It wasn't over the top like Akko, but gentler, more encouraging. "Well… as long as you're sure she's keeping her promise. Diana, would you like to stay?"

The blonde blinked, a bit taken aback. "I would like to. However, I have duties to attend to tonight. Perhaps another time."

Akko nodded. "Okay. Well, thank you for coming over and bringing my school work, I appreciate it."

Diana stood and returned the chair to the desk. "You're welcome. Will I see you tomorrow in class?"

The meister nodded. "I think so. Have a good night!"

"You too, Akko. Thank you." She exchanged a polite word with Lotte and left, leaving the other two girls alone.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

The next few weeks seemed to blur by. It was strange for Akko, having an actual partner. It was also strange to think that, now, there was someone else in her life. Before, if she didn't know something it only affected her. But now she needed to be smart for Diana too. She started to study more and pay more attention in class. Well, she tried to anyways. Lotte and Sucy both noticed it and the weapon/meister pair were both happy for her. They knew how much her dream of being like Chariot meant to her, and Diana was finally giving her the chance to get there.

The two held good on their training and study sessions. They met twice a week and spent two hours studying, then one hour training. All of which were really paying off.

Professor Ursula noticed as well in the private lessons she was giving Akko and Diana. Slowly but surely, Akko began to handle Diana better. She started to get faster, stronger. Her technique began to develop in a way that suggested that she was studying on her own and learning how to handle a rapier.

That being said, she was still Akko. She still tripped and fell a lot, at one point even getting Diana stuck in a wall. It was wrong of her to say, but Ursula found the tongue lashing Diana gave Akko was actually quite comical. When they'd finally gotten her out of the wall, Ursula dismissed them both for the day and Diana had actually stormed off in a huff. Something rather uncharacteristic of her, but also very understandable.

(~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~)

Meanwhile, far off and away from the DWMA and the young students inside, an evil was stirring. Cerce walked down the hall of the ancient underground ruins she called home, candlelight reflecting off of her deep brown hair and dark gray eyes. Casting shadows over her sharp, falcon-like features. Making them even sharper and predator like.

She rounded a corner and crossed through an open doorway into a long dark room lined with pillars on either side. Set all the way back in the shadows was a raised dais with a stone throne on it. And in that throne sat a woman shrouded in darkness. The only thing Cerce could make out through the gloom was the faint red glow of her eyes, with black slits for pupils.

She spoke with a soft voice that lingered just a second too long on the S's "Well?"

Cerce bowed and didn't rise. "Everything is in place. They have no clue."

"I'm trusting you, Cerce. Don't disappoint me. Or I'll let Fidi handle you this time. And he is eager…"

"N-no, ma'am. I will not fail you."

"Excellent."


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

A rare snow was falling on the DWMA, covering it in a soft white blanket as finals rolled around the semester ended. Through some miracle, Akko passed everything fairly well and was really looking forward to heading home for Christmas.

That's why Akko was so antsy when she was packing up her books on the last day of classes and her professor asked her to stay behind.

She told Lotte and Sucy not to wait up and headed over to the professor. "You wanted to see me?"

"Ah yes. Lord Death would like to see you and Diana right away. Please gather her and report to the death room as soon as you can."

"Yes Ma'am!"

Lord Death? What could he possibly want with us both? I need to find Diana. Her class lets out half an hour before mine, she should be at lunch.

Hitching her bag higher on her shoulder, she hurried through the crowded halls to the Cafeteria. It was packed, but thankfully she managed to locate Diana at her usual table near the back of the cavernous room. Naturally, she had Hannah and Barbara on her right, and her nose in an ancient book.

"Oh well look who it is? What could you possibly want?" Hanna said in her usual whiny high-pitched tone. Before Akko could get a word in, Diana had looked up from her book and looked at Hannah. "That is my Meister Hanna. I asked you before to show her the respect you show me, or shall I assume you've forgotten?"

Hannah mumbled something and looked away, embarrassed. Finished, Diana looked up at her partner. "Yes Akko, what do you need?"

"Shinigami-sama is looking for us. We're to report to the death room ASAP!"

Diana masked her concern well. "Alright, let us go then," she snapped her book shut and slipped it into her bag before getting up and leaving with Akko, leaving behind a confused Hanna and Barbara.

Hanna frowned "Who's Shinigami-Sama?"

The raven-haired weapon pulled out her phone and typed in the term "According to this, it's what the Japanese call Lord Death."

"Oh. Ok."

(~*~*~*~*~*~)

On the walk down Diana decided to probe Akko. "Did the professor say what Lord Death wanted?"

The shorter girl shook her head. "No. I don't think I did anything wrong. My grades have gotten better since you started to help me study. I mean I did melt that desk in chemistry though…"

Diana sighed. "Akko, don't panic. We don't know what he wants from us, and there's no reason for us to be concerned. And besides," she continued. "You didn't melt the desk, you just put a hole in it."

(~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~)

Lord Death was finishing up a call with someone when the girls came in. "Yes thank you, Arya. Great work! I'll be in touch!"

"Thank you sir!" the raven-haired, green-eyed woman bowed and the mirror returned to its normal reflective state. "Ah hello, ladies! What can I do for you?"

"Uh, sir Professor Orix said you wanted to see us?"

"I did? Hmm…. Ah yes! I did! Ladies, I have something I'd like you to look into over Christmas break, assuming neither of you minds working over break?"

The girls looked at each other before nodding their consent.

"Excellent! Now here is your file with all the information we have on the case. Please be sure to study it carefully." the words were hardly out of his mouth before Diana had it open and was skimming it.

Diana blinked. "It's in Glasgow?"

"Yep! That's why I chose you! It's right by Edinburgh! Close enough that you will still be able to see your family and spend time with them when you're done! And Miss Kagari should have enough time to fly back to Japan to see her family! Now Professor Ursula tells me when you two first joined you had quite a powerful reaction, correct?"

They both nodded and Diana spoke up. "We experienced a soul resonance, I believe."

Akko looked confused.

"From what I understand, that is exactly what happened. I know Professor Ursula hasn't addressed that with you yet, and rather than have her do it I'm going to be letting another team do it. They are based out of Glasgow and will be assisting you on this mission."

Akko spoke up. "But sir, why not Professor Ursula?"

"Well, this team is very strong, as I said, and are quite good at resonating. Plus, I believe it's good to learn from more than one person since everyone does things differently. You might learn something Professor Ursula couldn't teach you! Now, as I'm sure you both know, resonating untrained can be dangerous, so I want you both to avoid it until they train you, alright?"

Both girls nodded.

"All right! Now have a safe trip and good luck on your first mission. Oh, I'm so proud! They grow up so quick!"

Both girls got red and mumbled something not quite audible.

"Diana?"

The girls were walking down the hall towards Ursula's office. Neither had said much for most of the trip. "Hmm? Yes, Akko?"

"What's soul resonance?"

Diana sighed. Akko was doing better, but she still said things sometimes that just… made her wonder. "It were a meister sends their souls wavelength to their weapon, who then amplifies it and sends it back to the meister. This is repeated, creating a very powerful wavelength. Do you remember what happened during the pairing event?"

"How could I? That was incredible!"

"Indeed. I believe that was soul resonance."

"But, if it was, why didn't they tell us right away? Why didn't you say anything"

Diana kept her gaze focused ahead. "Well, I can't speak for them, but I didn't say anything because I wasn't completely sure if that was what happened. I also didn't feel we were ready. You struggle with your basics, and I-" she hesitated for a second like she was about to stop herself but kept going instead. "Don't feel grounded enough in my weapon form to want to take on so much power at once."

Akko stopped walking and grabbed Diana's hand to stop her. "Diana, what are you talking about?"

The blonde sighed. It was a sore subject with her but Akko was her partner and deserved to know. At least some of it in any case. "Sometimes...sometimes I lose control and cant hold my form. Sometimes because of emotional distress, sometimes because of physical pain. Sometimes just sudden distraction. I lose control and change back to my human form."

The brunette blinked. "So? Diana that's perfectly normal! Remember they said so on the first day! It's ok! We'll study hard and train hard together and turn you into a death scythe in no time! Believing is your magic!"

Diana was quiet for a minute. Even though she was flawed, Akko didn't care. Any other person would have freaked out that the great Diana Cavendish isn't as perfect as she appeared but Akko accepted her as she was. It gave her comfort she hadn't felt in a long time, perhaps because though simple words took some weight off her shoulders. Because now, if she made a mistake, Akko wouldn't ridicule her or pick at her for it or be greatly disappointed like she knew the other students would. She would simply help her pick herself up and carry on.

Diana wasn't sure what to say but Akko made it so she didn't have to. "Come on, we have to go pack!" The blonde nodded her agreement "You're right, however, may I have my hand back?"

"What? Oh! Yeah sorry." Akko quickly released Diana's hand and turned to start walking, her face suddenly red. What she didn't see was the slight blush that had crept its way onto Diana's face as well.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

"Okay. We're going to go over this one more time."

Akko groaned. "Diana we've reviewed the file twice on the plane over, and another time on the train from London to Glasgow. Can we please take a minute to just relax?"

The girls were on their way to downtown Glasgow to meet with their handler, as Akko referred to her. They would spend the night there, and start on the case in the morning. Diana seemed in no rush to get home and dodged Akkos questions about it, so for now, Akko let it lie.

"We can relax when our killer is no longer hurting people. This is what we're here for, Akko. To protect people." Diana's eyes adopted an icy edge to them not lost on Akko.

"I know, but Diana we'll be there in 5 minutes, and she'll review the file with us no doubt. Trying to cram the same information into your head won't change anything right now."

She had a point and they both knew it. So, Diana closed the folder and settled into an awkward silence. It was definitely different for her to have Akko be the voice of reason.

About 10 minutes later, their cab arrived in front of a 4-story building in the middle of a busy street. The base of the building was a crowded pub called The Lions Den. Diana noticed it had a neon sign in the window flashing Open 24 Hours and smiled at the brilliance of it all. With a busy street, popular pub and multiple apartments, there were people constantly coming and going, which meant the meister could come and go as she pleased without detection.

"So. Now what?" Akko looked over at Diana, a little nervous. "Well, I suppose we should find out how to get upstairs. Maybe there's a stairwell on the side of the building."

Akko nodded and picked up her bag but didn't move. She was going to follow Diana's lead. Sighing to herself, Diana grabbed her bag and went around the side of the building, vowing to herself that she would get a spine in Akko if it killed her.

The two girls rounded the building but were greeted only by a dead end alleyway and a fire escape "Diana I don't think this is it."

The blond closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. "I can see that Akko."

"So now what? Try the other side?"

"What other choice do we have?"

The girls went to turn around and found their way blocked by an old man. "Helloo ladiesss..."

He's drunk it was painfully clear to Diana. He was swaying a bit and slurred his words. That being said, he could still be dangerous. She decided to speak up, "Excuse us, sir. We just made a wrong turn."

The man took a step towards them "That's ok. I'll take you home nice and safe."

"That's a nice offer, however, I'm afraid we'll have to decline."

The man took another step toward them, staggering slightly to the right, making them back up "It's a dangerous city you know. I wouldn't want you to get hurt." He went to take another wobbling step forward but before he could there was a loud twang and an arrow suddenly appeared at his feet. A commanding, distinctly Scottish voice boomed from behind them "Back off Frank, they're with us."

The man groaned. "Come on!"

"Lay a hand on 'em and so help me, Frank, I'll rip yer balls off and shove 'em down yer throat!" Diana's eyes widened, and she turned around in time to see a woman hop off the last landing of the fire escape, landing lightly on her feet, and strut forward into the light. She had fiery long red hair, bright green eyes, and a very fit physique. She walked with confidence and an air of comfortable control that made it clear this woman was not to be messed with.

Diana also noticed her arms change back from what she guessed was a bow back to normal.

Turning back around she was the old man had fled. "Ignore Frank. He's a nice guy when he's not drunk, which is rare. I'm guessing yer the students from the DWMA?"

Akko actually spoke up "Y-yes ma'am."

The woman snorted. "Please, none o' that nonsense. My name is Trixie."

Akko gave a polite bow. "My name is Atsuko Kagari, and this is my partner Diana Cavendish."

Trixie's green eyes widened. "Cavendish? As in the Cavendishes?"

Diana nodded. "Correct."

The redhead thought for a minute "So...then yer…"

"Bernadette's daughter, yes." There was half a heartbeat then Trixie did something that Akko didn't expect. She hugged the young woman. "I'm so sorry for yer loss. She was a brave woman."

Diana politely gave her a moment before gently but firmly breaking off the contact "Thank you."

"If you need anything you let me know, ok?"

"I will." There was something in the young woman's eyes Akko couldn't quite place. Before she could say anything, Trixie turned and waved them forward "Come on let's get you two inside and warmed up. It's freezing. Arya should have tea going and dinner should be about done."

(~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~)

After climbing the fire escape (Quicker than the stairs, according to Trixie) they climbed through a second story window into a small but cozy flat. Across from them was the front door, to the right was an open sitting room with a futon that had been pulled out and made. To the left, the space was split down the middle by a bookcase without a back and packed with books and binders. On the far side of it was what looked like a small kitchen and table. On the near side, a hutch type desk with a very advanced looking computer and more books, then two doors on the wall. Akko guessed they were the bathroom and the women's bedroom.

"Just leave yer stuff in the corner guys. Arya, we have company!" Trixie kicked off her boots and walked into the kitchen.

"Ah finally! I was starting to think they got lost!" Trixie came back with another woman. She was tall and rail thin with glossy black hair and bright green eyes that seemed to sparkle in the light "Welcome! My name is Arya it's nice to meet you!" She gave a polite little bow to Akko, which delighted the Japanese girl who happily returned it, and then shook Diana's hand

"It's a pleasure. My name is Diana, this is my meister Atsuko."

"Please call me Akko!"

"Akko it is. Come on I just put on tea, it'll help you warm up. Tell me, how was your trip?" The group relocated to the kitchen and the three sat while Arya got mugs out for the tea "Uneventful. We almost missed a connecting flight but outside of that nothing of note."

"Diana what about that creepy guy?"

Arya turned and raised an eyebrow "Creepy guy?"

"Yeah, the one in the alleyway!"

Trixie snorted. "She means Frank."

Arya laughed as she brought over 4 mugs with hot tea in them "Oh him. He's harmless once you put your foot down with him. He tried pretty hard with me but I gave him a nice shiner and that was the end of that." She turned and grabbed a bowl of sugar cubes from the counter and took the last empty seat at the table "Alright, so I'm guessing you ladies are looking to get down to business?"

They both nodded.

"Okay good. Now, the reason you're here is that Trixie and myself asked Lord Death for another team to act as backup. He then decided to flip things and have you two take over as the main team and have me and Trix act as back up."

Akko spoke up with a worried tone in her voice "If he's too strong for you then how are we supposed to get him?"

Trixie coughed lightly. "It's not that he's a hard kill so much as Arya and I are a bit out of practice. And she's a worry wart."

"No, I'm not!"

"You kind of are."

"Trixie so help me…"

"Ladies, can we get back to the business at hand, please." Diana had a commanding tone to her voice that made Akko cringe.

"Okay, okay, you're right. Tell me, what have you learned from the file, Miss Cavendish?" Arya perked up at the name but didn't say anything.

"Well," Diana started. " He strikes only at night. Only in the outskirts of the city in poorly lit areas. When all attacks are marked on a map, they seem to be performed in the port district. Two victims were found near shipping containers, one by the crane he operated, the last right on the bank of the river. All within a mile radius of the slums, which some would suggest that he's from there. I disagree, I believe that he came in on a ship. I did research on the flight over and there have been similar incidents in Southampton and London as well. 5 kills in the span of a week, then they just stop. 3 days later they pick up in the next city, 5 kills in 7 days then they stop. 3 days later-"

"-They pick up again here in Glasgow. Arya can you hack into the Shipping Authority and-?"

"-Find out what ships have gone from Southampton to London to Glasgow, then pull up their manifests and crew listings? Give me 10 minutes." The meister got up and quickly crossed over to the computer and booted it up.

A few seconds later she was typing furiously. Trixie chuckled. "She's the best hacker in the northern hemisphere. While she's doing that, let me get the food out 'o the oven. It should be done."

While Trixie attended to that, Akko got up and wandered over to stand at Arya's shoulder and watched her as she worked. Meanwhile, Diana sipped her tea daintily. Trixie came over with plates and forks in one hand, and a tray with 4 pot pies in the other.

"They're chicken pot pies. Arya's quite the cook. She packs 'em with vitamins and protein to help fill ye up and replenish what's lost during hard training. Eat up, ye'll need it." With that, she grabbed a plate, nudged one onto it and dug in.

Diana decided to follow suit. Catching a piece of chicken and some veggies on her fork, she blew on it gently and took a bite. It tasted fantastic.

She swallowed. "So, how did you and Arya meet?"

The redhead chuckled "At the DWMA, freshman year. I was much quieter back then. A bit of a bookworm, nerdy. I got picked on because of it, but there was this one girl who was particularly nasty. One day she cornered me in the bathroom with her weapon partner.

We were in the same class, but she was from a well-off family and felt like I was showing her up. She had a big ego and was very prideful, easy to offend. So anyway there I was, back against the wall, an angry blonde armed with a spear between me an' the exit. I thought it was game over-"

"DAMN IT! Akko pass me that thumb drive there on the shelf, quickly!" both weapons watched the older meister plug it in and start to type with a vengeance."

Trixie chuckled. "But anyway, I thought I was about to have me arse handed to me; but before they could do a thing, someone came in and caught on to what was happening 'Come on let's go!' She shouted and I transformed, landing right in her hands. I'm a bow type weapon, not good for close quarters like that, but she made it work.

She handled me so well, it was the oddest feeling. We just...clicked. No one ever felt like that to me before, ya know?"

Diana nodded. That was the way she felt with Akko. Trixie continued "Anyway she kept just out of reach at all times, dancing 'round the bitch, firing shot after shot after shot. Finally, she was pinned to the wall by arrows. I'd never seen someone do that before.

Then Arya got in her face and, with the meanest tone I've ever heard her use, she goes "So help me if you ever try to lay a hand on her again, I'll make sure your family line ends with you." The rest is a horrible cliche, savior and saveie teaming up and becoming a powerful pair, but it's the truth."

Diana nodded and swallowed. "How long have you two worked together?"

"Including time at the DWMA? 7 years. What about you and Akko?"

"We've been teamed together a few weeks."

"Do ye work well together?"

Diana was quiet for a minute "We do butt heads. However, she handles me well. Better than my previous meister."

Trixie nodded. "Lord Death told me you managed to resonate souls." The younger weapon nodded but didn't say anything. Before Trixie could say anything Arya and Akko came back over.

Arya set a piece of paper down on the table. It had 2 pictures and information on the bottom "I've narrowed it down to one of these two," she sat "This is Brandon Carver. No family on record has a record of petty crimes. He's a drifter. Now, this other guy is John Ingalls. His record is squeaky clean. Again, no family but he does have a flat in the city. In my opinion, and it's just a hunch, I think this Ingalls guy is our man."

Akko sat down. "Why him? You just said he has a clean record."

"Akko, this man doesn't even have a parking ticket. No one's record is that clean. So, how do you girls want to proceed? This is your mission after all."

Akko looked at Diana, unsure. Diana thought for a moment "Two teams, two targets. I propose we each pick one and stalk him. Since Akko and I are supposed to take the lead, we will take Ingalls. You two will take Carver."

The others all nodded. Then Akko squeaked, making them all jump "Akko whats wrong?"

"There's food! I'm starving!" Without further ado she grabbed a pie off the tray she just noticed as well as a fork and dug in. The older team exchanged looks. Diana sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose.

The rest of the night was spent getting the girls settled in. Once they were unpacked, Trixie sat with Diana going over plans for the next day, while Akko and Arya played on her computer. Surprisingly, Akko was quite good and gave the older meister a run for her money. By 10 pm, they were tied up.

"Yeah, you better run punk! Wait, where did you-"

"360 no-scope take that!"

"Akko that's not a 360- OI CUT IT OUT!"

Trixie sighed. "You would think they were 12-year old's…"

"Well, like 12 year old's, maybe they will wear themselves out and go to bed soon," Diana replied. It was getting late and she herself was considering going to sleep.

"So, how did you meet Akko?"

"My meister had just left school when the professors hosted this… get together of sorts. A chance for unpaired meisters and weapons to meet and try to find a suitable partner. Our professor had me and Akko try and we seemed to match perfectly."

Trixie nodded. "Did ye know her at all beforehand?"

Diana shook her head "Not really. She was never very good in class, and for the most part, our paths never crossed. Occasionally, she would do something particularly reckless and I would get caught up in it, like the time she set her desk on fire, but we didn't really talk."

"But that changed when you guys partnered up right?" There was a hint of concern in her voice.

"Well...not really. I tutor her in her worst subjects and we train together, but we don't really discuss anything other than what's at hand."

The redhead fell into a thoughtful silence. "Diana, do ye know why the most successful teams are as good as they are?"

"Because they study and train incredibly hard."

"Well, that's part of it. But there's another bit to it. Any guesses?"

She thought for a minute "Communication."

"Also right. But not what I was looking for. They know each other inside and out. They know what the other is thinking and can respond accordingly. That's how they learn to fight as one. They understand each other, their feelings, hopes, expectations. Their drive. Do ye know why Akko became a meister?"

"Yes. She's trying to live up to her hero."

"Does she know why yer at the DWMA?"

"Well...no."

"Does she know any of yer hopes or what drives you?"

"Yes. I want to be a death scythe."

"Does she know the why behind that?"

Diana was silent. Trixie did have a point. Akko probably didn't know the first thing about her, and that was mostly her own fault. She wasn't one to share things like that. She didn't really connect with people well.

"Diana, I'm not saying spill yer guts to her. Just, don't lock her out. If ye do, if you guys don't learn to fight together as one, one or both of ye will be seriously hurt. Possibly killed." Trixie reached across the table and touched the young woman's hand " Just give her a chance. She's a good kid with a good head on her shoulders."

"HAHA TAKE THAT! 14-10 I WIN!" Diana looked over in time to watch Akko groan and Arya spun around in her chair happily. She couldn't help but smile a little at the sight. Finally, she got up as Akko was leaning back and leaned over her, hands on her hips. "Akko, I think we should be getting to bed."

"Awww, Diana come on one more round!"

"Yeah, come on Diana! One more round" Arya whined as well. Trixie sighed and crossed the room to grab Arya by the ear "Ow, Trix stop that hurts!"

"Have a good night ladies. Breakfast will be at 8:30." With that, she dragged her protesting meister into their bedroom, leaving the young team alone in the quiet.

After taking turns in the bathroom they both stood there looking at the futon, realizing they'd be sharing a bed. Diana was about to climb in when Akko got her idea. "Oh I know!" grabbing some cushions and the top sheet, Akko made herself a little bed on the floor. "There we go! Now we both have our own bed."

Diana wasn't as thrilled. "Akko, its 10 degrees outside. That floor must be freezing."

Akko shrugged "I have the sheet I'll be ok!" Diana shook her head and tried to soften her voice, remembering what Trixie had said earlier "Akko, get in the bed. It's too cold for that. It's okay." She held out her hand.

The meister hesitated for a second before reaching up to take it. Diana helped her up and they both climbed into bed, making sure to leave enough space between them.

"Good night, Diana."

"Good night, Akko."


	9. Chapter 9

I do wanna take a second here and mention that Arya has nothing to do with the Arya in Game of Thrones, in case anyone was wondering. She's been my main OC for about... wow almost 8 years now. Believe it or not, my 14 year old self modeled her physically after Arya from the book Eragon but personality wise, she's all original.

Chapter 9

Professor Ursula shuffled through her papers. She was in another meeting with Lord Death and several professors, meisters and death scythes over a developing situation in Greece. Normally this kind of thing was classified for top-level teams only, however, Lord Death wanted her there, especially after the insights she offered at the last one. It was a little nerve-wracking she had to admit.

Finally, Lord Death arrived. "Hey, hey, hey team! Thank you for your patience, now let's give the floor to Ursula, who has a few good thoughts on Greece!"

Ursula smiled nervously and stood. "Thank you sir!" She crossed the room and dimmed the lights before heading back to her spot at the table and starting her slideshow. "Okay, as you all know there has been a recent spike in disappearances around Athens. Which might not sound like much, however, whoever has been doing this has slipped up." she tapped the space bar and the first slide popped up. It was a picture of a dead man laying on what appeared to be a sandy beach. He was badly bloated and clearly had been in the water a long time.

Ursula continued. "This is our John Doe. Now, the coroner's report says he was strangled and thrown in the water postmortem. But if you look closer at the bruising on his neck-" she tapped the button again and the screen zoomed way in on the bodies neck "-you will notice two puncture marks here and here." she used a laser pointer to point them out.

"We know that Ursula, are you only going to tell us things we're already aware of?" A woman stepped forward out of the shadows. She was mid-height with black hair worn in a graduated bob. Her eyes were a piercing blue, and seemed to break you down to your core even while hiding behind her glasses.

Ursula hid her dislike. "Azusa, I didn't think you would be coming today."

"Oh, I wouldn't miss this for the world."

You could cut the tension with a knife.

Lord Death jumped in "Okay ladies! Azusa I saved you a seat! Let's listen and see what else Ursula has to say, I don't think she's quite done!"

Both women glared at each other for a few moments longer before Azusa took her place at the last empty chair. "Now, as I was saying, the bruises cover the puncture marks. I believe these are either made by a large needle or a smaller snake. There is one other thing I found odd." she tapped a key and moved to the next slide. This one had several pictures of sheep, goats and cattle, dead, with fur shaved off to reveal strangulation marks on their necks "While not uncommon for a twisted teenager to attack livestock, these animals all have the same thing," the slide changed to show pictures of the strangle marks close up. All of which had "Puncture marks. Just like our John Doe. I believe this is the work of the witch Cerce."

Cerce was a twisted witch known for seducing men, sleeping with them, then turning them into animals. She was very powerful, and very dangerous, especially with her love of blood magic.

Azusa wasn't won over. "You forgot one thing, I killed her myself."

"That kill was never confirmed. The body burst into flames that left no trace. In addition, the body's all had lower blood counts. I believe Cerce is back and practicing her magic again, or storing up for something big."

The room was quiet for a long minute. Finally, another death scythe, Lord Death's current weapon Spirit, spoke up. "While there are holes in your theory, I believe this is worth looking into. To ignore it and have you be correct poses far too great a risk."

Lord Death nodded "I happen to agree. Ursula, this is your theory, so I'm going to be sending you out to look into it. I know you prefer sword type weapons, however I am going to have Azusa accompany you and have Jinn look after eastern Asia in her absence."

Both women cringed on the inside but nodded their consent.

"Alright now if that's all I have to be on my way! I have a date with a piece of cake my son made!"

The entire room sighed.


	10. Chapter 10

Alright and we are now caught up! I just finished migrating this over from the Fanfiction.Net for your reading pleasure! Updates to come hopefully on a weekly or bi-weekly basis, depending on how busy my schedule gets! I hope you're all enjoying this story and hope you'll all stick with me to the end! 

Chapter 10

Akko couldn't sleep.

According to the wall clock, it was 3 am. 5 and a half hours until she had to get up. She wanted to sleep, she really did, but she just wasn't tired. And her mind wouldn't stop. All she could think about was that kishin egg and the eventual fight. What if she tripped again? What if Diana lost her form? What if they got hurt or worse?

She sat up and pulled her legs close to her chest, careful not to disturb her partner in the process. It was so quiet. Even being in the city, over a 24-hour pub, the whole world seemed to be at rest. If it weren't for the panic rising in her chest, she would have felt at peace.

Taking deep breaths she tried to calm down, to slow her pounding heartbeat but it wasn't working. She needed to move, to do something.

Anything.

Quietly she got up, carefully as to not wake Diana, and tossed her coat and shoes on. After trying them she crossed to the window, opened it, and slipped outside.

It wasn't until she was on the roof that she realized it was snowing gently, adding to the existing layer that crunched under her feet as she walked to the edge of the roof and looked out over the sleeping city, unbothered by the cold.

Old buildings surrounded her on all sides, made from various types of stone. They were a strange contrast to the newer buildings further in the distance, rising higher and shining brighter than their elders. That was the true downtown. Where all the lawyers and executives and CEOs worked and lived. It was never something she'd wanted, to be rich and powerful like that. All Akko ever wanted was to be happy.

To be happy and strong and save the world like Shiny Chariot. That was her goal. Her dream. She just had to study hard and make Diana a death scythe. That was still an odd thought. Despite everything, she still wasn't used to being paired up with Diana. It always felt like there was a wall between them, even when she was a weapon. Akko tried to ignore it at first but the more they trained the more it seemed to make itself known. It was hard to get a read on Diana because of it, and that made it harder to fight together. And that meant tomorrow wouldn't be easy. Not in the least.

Akko let out a sigh and watched as her breath made its way skyward, toward the clouds made purple by the city lights. It was a shame, out here you wouldn't be able to see the stars on a clear night.

"Akko."

The brunette jumped a mile and yelped. Spinning around she was surprised to see Diana "Diana don't do that what are you trying to kill me?"

The blond raised an eyebrow. "Staying out here in pajama shorts will do that just fine without my aid."

Akko blinked and then nodded. "I suppose your right. I'm sorry did I wake you?"

"No. I woke on my own to find you gone, as well as your coat and boots. From there I simply followed your tracks. What are you doing out here?"

"I- I just couldn't sleep is all."

"So you came out, in the snow, at 3 am, in shorts to just watch the night go by?"

Akko sighed "I just...I'm nervous about tomorrow. That's all."

Diana had a feeling it was something like that. "To be honest," she walked over next to Akko and looked out over the city "I don't feel completely prepared either."

That took Akko by surprise "What? Diana you're amazing! How could you not be ready?"

"It's one thing to know how to perform a job in theory, it's another to actually do the job. It's still our first kishin egg." it was hard for her to admit that, but Trixie was right. She needed to try to open up to Akko, at least a little.

"Your right. But I think we're about as ready as we're going to be. We've trained and studied so hard. We just have to be brave, just like Shiny Chariot!"

There was that name again. "Can I ask you something Akko?"

"Sure what is it?"

Diana looked over at her. "Why do you idolize Chariot so much?"

Akko smiled and looked back out over the city "When I was little, I lived right down the road from a playground. One day when I was about 10 I got bored and wandered down the road to play.

The sun was just setting, and I was on the swings when I heard a branch crack and then a loud roar. I fell off of the swings and as was laying in the wood chips a big monster appeared. I rolled over and tried to scramble back but bumped into the slide. The monster was looming over me, his eyes a deep red and drool coming out of his mouth he reached for me. I thought I was going to die.

But then he roared again and fell sideways and landed with a big boom. He was dead, with an arrow in his ear. The next thing I knew someone was running up to me and asking if I was ok. It was Shiny Chariot. She had saved my life.

She picked me up and carried me all the way home. My mother made her stay for dinner as a thank you and over dinner, she told me all about the DWMA and being a meister. I think her partner was there too but I don't honestly remember. All I could focus on was Chariot. Ever since then I wanted to be just like her and help to save the world."

Diana was quiet for a long moment. She'd heard of Shiny Chariot. She was one of the better-known meisters, easily recognized by her fire red hair and flashy attacks and antics. They were great for recruiting people but not always the most effective in killing kishins. From what Diana understood, Chariot had died in a fight years back. She was pursuing a kishin through an abandoned building and launched an attack.

The kishin, according to her partner's report, lashed out and hit support pillars, triggering a partial collapse, pinning itself and Chariot under a slab of concrete. There was no way to free herself without freeing the kishin as well, nor was there a way to kill it without causing a full collapse. After making her partner get out of the building, Chariot threw out a powerful wavelength attack, killing the kishin and dropping the building on top of her. Her body was never found.  
It was definitely a lot to process. After several minutes of silence, Diana finally spoke, "Akko, I believe you can do it."

Akko turned her head to look at the blond, only to find her partner already watching her thoughtfully. "What?"

"I believe you can do it. You may goof things up, and put holes in desks, and get me stuck in walls, but you have a big heart Atsuko Kagari. And you have drive. And with that, I believe you can accomplish anything." It was the truth, and Diana knew Akko needed to hear it.

Akko was quiet for a second, then her eyes started to water "Diana!" The next thing she knew, Akko was throwing herself at her and pulling her into a big hug. She was still for a moment, very much aware of how Akkos body was pressed into hers, before bringing her arms up from her side and hugging the shorter girl back, for once not fighting things and just letting the moment happen. It just felt… right.

After a minute Akko pulled away, a big smile on her face. It disappeared however when she noticed how red Diana's face was. Looking down, she grew more alarmed when she saw she was still in her nightdress "Diana, are you crazy? Why are you in a night dress? Come on let's go inside before you freeze!"

It was all Diana could do to not facepalm.


	11. Chapter 11

Alright, welcome back! Double update due to the length of chapter 11 here! This is definitely coming later than I planned, however, I wanted to try and improve the quality of my writing before I updated, I also had another cosplay prop commission roll in and not a lot of time to do it!(It did turn out fantastic though! Neptune's gun from RWBY, in case anyone was wondering) Anyway, hopefully, story quality it better and I hope you all enjoy! If you like it don't be afraid to leave a review with what you like! And if you don't like it, let me know what you don't like! I thrive off of feedback, just don't flame. Flaming isn't cool. Keep it constructive, please! As always shout out to my Beta ImaginaryEngineer! I would not be here without her!

Also, special shout outs to RandomFanficPedestrian, Avvet, Milkywaydriker, Memes, SpaghettAHHHH, undercoverotakulord, and RainbowRiddler for taking the time to leave a review! I really appreciate all the feedback and it's really nice to know people are enjoying this story! Not going to lie, I was very nervous posting this but I feel so much better now! Ok enough rambling. Time for the story!

Chapter 11

Ursula crouched behind a pile of crates inside an old storage warehouse down in shipping district of Athens, Greece. Azusa's crossbow form was cradled in her arms comfortably as she watched a group of men in black suits and ties a few rows away. Their hushed voices were too quiet to carry over to her with perfect clarity, but she did catch words like drugs, hideout, and Russians. None of that interested the pair, however. They were only interested in the shorter, less intimidating man standing next to them, scribbling away on a clipboard and looking around nervously.

The meister wasn't sure why he was so nervous. The crumbling warehouse was the perfect place for illegal going on. There were no cameras, several exits, bad lighting, broken windows and towering piles of crates, boxes and pallets that made it essentially like a maze There was no way anyone who didn't want to found would be found.

Unless it was a three-star meister and death scythe looking for them.

"They're leaving Ursula. Now's our chance." Azusas voice was soft, yet still managed to hold its hard edge

"I'm aware." she slowly began to creep forward, moving from stack to stack silently and phantom like. Finally, she was right along their path, in the perfect spot to make the grab. Setting Azusa down, she got ready and as the short man walked by she reached out and grabbed him, dragging back into the shadows, one arm around his neck her other hand covering his mouth "Make a noise and I'll kill you here and now. Nod if you understand"

The man gave a timid nod. As Ursula spun him around and pinned him to the stack of pallets behind him, Azusa changed to her human form and stepped forward "You're going to answer our questions, and you're going to be honest with us, do you understand?"

The man glared at her as Ursula moved her hand "Why should I listen to you? One scream and all of my associates will be here in seconds!"

Azusa held up her right arm. There was a flash of sapphire blue light as it changed into a gleaming silver crossbow with a battleship grey musket muzzle attached to the front. Then she took aim at his head "Any other questions?"

The man shook his head vigorously "Good. Now, we happen to know that you and your 'associates' have been dealing in black magic supplies. I want a list of all the witches you've sold blood magic supplies to in the last six months."

The man snorted "Please, like I have access to that informat- no no don't shoot! I'll talk I'll talk! Alright! There's only been two! O-one was looking for just chickens but the other she-she bought everything! Candles, crystals, all of it!"

Azusa nodded "Alright. Tell me everything she said. Now."

"I-I don't remember!" Azusa shoved her crossbow arm in his face and he yelped " Alright alright alright! She was tall with brown hair and grey eyes! S-she looked greek to me! She said something about bringing about a wonderful change to the world, flirted a bit with my partner and left!"

"With the supplies?"

"No! We have to deliver it! Pier 13 down at the docks! Three tomorrow morning I think! That's all I know! Please don't kill me!"

Azusa changed her hand back "We won't kill you, but this woman is bad. She needs to get off the streets. You need to keep quiet about me and my colleague here, or else." She gave him a piercing stare and the man nodded vigorously again.

"Good. Let him go." Ursula let go of him. "Well, that was informative."

Azusa nodded "Yes, very. We need to go do recon on that pier, as well as report in to Lord death. He's going to be pleased."

Her meister nodded "I agree, let's go."


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Diana stood behind a rusted metal shipping container, waiting for Akko to tie her shoe. After spending the day doing recon on their respective suspects, both teams agreed Ingalls was most likely their criminal. He was just too average. And he was very shifty, something Trixie said was a major tip-off for her.

So after spending two hours making plans, they jumped into action. Akko and Diana were running point, looking to pin down their guy, with Arya and Trixie hanging back to provide support as needed. Both girls were nervous, but Akko had a new-found determination and Diana...well, she hid it well.

"... And rabbit goes around the tree and into the hole. There we go all tied up!" Akko looked up at her partner and stood "Maybe you should change? I think we're close"

The blonde nodded "Alright, just- Akko be careful. This isn't like school where you can yell stop and everything stops. If you become overwhelmed…"

The genuine concern in her voice was not lost on Akko "I know. We can do this Diana, it's ok!" She gave her goofy smile and it somehow managed to calm the weapon down a little

"Ok then." With that Diana changed and landed in Akkos hand. The feel of the newer, cold leather grip and the weight of the weapon gave her a calming sense of nostalgia. She felt strong, confident. Ready to take on anything.

She started to head towards the river bank, noticing the temperature drop a bit as she got closer to the bank. According to the pattern, the last kill would happen here, only she intended to stop it before it could happen.

"Akko, to the right there are deep shadows cast by that stack of containers. I believe that would be a good spot to wait."

Looking over, Akko nodded and headed into the shadows, a soft breeze coming off the river ruffling her hair. Taking a seat on the cold, damp asphalt, she settled in to wait.

Meanwhile, Arya sat cross-legged on top of the same stack of containers, an English Longbow carved with Celtic knots and sporting a worn leather grip resting in her lap "I don't know Trix, maybe we should have taught them to resonate first."

"There wasn't enough time. I would rather them be fully trained on a tool rather than have no idea and possibly hurt themselves. We were right to wait."

"You think they can handle this on their own?"

"Diana can, and Akko is smarter than people give her credit for. Relax, if they get overwhelmed, a well-placed arrow will solve the problem quickly and efficiently."

Arya nodded in agreement "I suppose you're righ-" A loud scream cut her off and she sprung up "Game on."

Akko was just starting to doze off when a loud scream scared her awake "What? What happened?" she jumped up and looked around just in time to see a man come running out from between two stacks of shipping containers onto the beach, followed by some sort of beast.

Here we go "Hey! Ugly!" Akko stepped into the light cast by the streetlights. The monster lost interest in its prey and instead turned to face Akko. It lurched forward into a pool of light cast by another street light maybe thirty feet downwind from Akko. She estimated the monster to be around 7 foot tall, its form hunched over and its arms long enough he used them to walk, like an ape. His eyes had an evil blood-red hue to them, and his face was sunken in, to the point that seemed to look more skull-like than face.

It was a terrifying contrast to the face of the man they had spent the day stalking "My name is Atsuko Kagari! And as a meister of the Death Weapon Meister Academy, under orders from Shinigami-Sama, I hereby claim your corrupted soul!" Her voice was strong and confident, surprising not just herself, but Diana as well.

The monster roared and charged at her, its voice echoing off the metal containers and its feet kicking up sand as it went "This is it Akko lets go!"

"Right!" Akko ran forward to meet the monsters charge, only to spin to the left at the last minute, allowing him to run right by her. At the last second she lunged out and nicked him in the side, but he didn't seem to notice. Still, it felt good, it was their first-ever strike.

The monster spun around and roared, charging at her again and this time throwing sand everywhere. She quickly rolled out of the way, trying to keep the sand out of her eyes "Ideas Diana?"

"He is strong but clumsy. Let him run past you, then strike the back, right in the spine. Once disabled, killing blow to the neck or heart. A swift dispatch would be the most merciful."

"Alright, let's go then!" Akko started to run at the monster but skidded to a stop several feet from it. Something was wrong. It was just standing there, motionless. Akko took half a step back, then shook her head and went running at it.

"No Akko stop somethings wro-" A huge roar cut the blonde off. The monsters form seemed to shake before spikes exploded out of its body with a multitude of sickening crunches. The new armor it had blew all kinds of holes in the girl's plans "Run!"

Not needing to be told twice, Akko turned and bolted back into the labyrinth of shipping containers. Akko zigged and zagged, running around corner after corner but she couldn't get away. The monster managed to weave around the corners hot on her heels, far more agile than before. It still sent a few of the old metal containers flying, but not like before. This was very, very bad.

Rounding another corner, Akko pressed up against the container while the monster seemed to blow past her. She was panting hard, her blood pulsing in her ears.

"Hey!" Holding her weapon up, Diana's head and bare shoulders appeared in the bright silver blade "The only way we can destroy him now is a clean shot to the head."

"And how are we supposed to do-" Akko stopped talking for a minute, then burst into a grin "That's it I've got it!" she took off running.

Meanwhile, the monster roared in anger over the loss of its prey. It started to flail around in anger, sending metal containers flying, their contents spilling out across the area. It had taken out to stacks before Akko managed to climb on top of a shorter, still intact stack- dodging clothing, curtains and all manner of debris on the way. Only two containers tall, the rusted red containers gave Akko an eighteen-foot boost, putting Akko nine feet above the beasts head.

She walked up to the edge, the wind throwing her off balance for a minute. It wasn't until she was on the very edge that Diana finally caught on to what she was about to do "Akko don't you dare do what I think you're about to do!"

"Diana hush this will work!" she shifted to the left a bit before backing up a few steps.

"Do you know what the odds of this working are?"

"Never tell me the odds!" Akko ran and jumped off the edge of the container, aiming for the monster's neck.

She flew through the air toward the best and then for a split second seemed to hang before she began to fall the nine feet towards the monster. She was descending fast when she realized she was going to miss.

Before the panic could set in she managed to twist mid-air and plunge Diana into his shoulder, miraculously avoiding the bony spikes and shredding muscle and tendon on the way down. However, Diana hung up on bone, stopping the fall and leaving Akko dangling. Roaring louder than before, the monster swung around in a fury, the force of which dislodged Diana and sent both girls flying. Akko slammed into a container, knocking the wind out of her before she fell to the ground, unconscious.

Diana meanwhile clattered to the ground about 20 feet away from Akko. Against her will, she changed back into her human form, dazed and with blurred vision. Shaking her head to clear it, she looked around and saw the monster looming over an unconscious Akko, fist raised.

Not even stopping to think, Diana scrambled up and ran at the monster, only to baseball slide between its legs and twist around to face it as its fist slammed down. There was a flash of light and suddenly, its fist was stopped by a silver sword blade.

Diana had changed her arm and stopped the monster from killing Akko.

Her face quickly began to glisten with sweat as she strained against the monster, a fury lighting up her eyes "Do not. Touch. My. Meister!" she snarled as she reached deep down inside herself and found a reserve of strength she didn't know she had. Tapping into it, she managed to push the monster's fist away, creating an opening. Taking it, she lunged forward with her arm and stabbed the monster in the chest.

Letting out its loudest roar yet, it twisted away, almost taking Diana with it. Digging in her heels just in time, she braced herself and let the monster use its own momentum to pull itself off her blade. She was, however, pulled to her knees as the monster flailed around more before falling to the ground with a thundering crash, causing the ground to shake and almost knocking Diana over. She vaguely noticed a pain in her shoulder accompanied by what felt like a warm liquid flowing down her arm and chest but she didn't care. She was too worried about Akko.

Changing her arm back she walked over and knelt down next to the unconscious meister. Reaching down, she gingerly felt Akkos neck for a pulse, hardly noticing the blood trickling down her own arm. After what seemed like an eternity, she found a faint beat and smiled, letting out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. She slid sideways off her feet and plopped down on the ground numbly, trying to get her bearings and process what had just happened.

They had made their first kill.

Akko had almost died.

She was bleeding somehow.

It was all so overwhelming. And honestly, all she cared about was Akko being ok.

"Diana!" Looking over as things seemed to blur, she could make out Arya and Trixie running at them, yelling words she couldn't hear. She fell sideways onto the cold asphalt, her last thoughts before blacking out being of Akko.


	13. Chapter 13

Hey hey hey everyone welcome back! I have good news and bad news for you all. Bad news is that this is a shorter double update and my hours at work are getting longer, which means that updates will be bi-weekly, possibly pushing out to tri-weekly (although I'm going to try very hard to avoid this) Good news? Next update will be a longer double to make up for this shorty.

In case some of you are worried about me jumping ship and dumping the story, that won't happen. Why? A) My beta will kill me B) most of you will hunt me down and kill me C) I myself hate it when people do that and to do that would make me a hypocrite, which I try hard to avoid because I don't like them either. If none of this quells your fears, then perhaps this might: I, The HardestFall, vow that the day I bail on the Souls, Forever Linked series is the day I admit that Akko X Andrew is a better pair than Akko X Diana.

There, that should quell any fears. Moving on. As always, a mega thank you to ImaginaryEngineer for beta'ing my story and dealing with my chatty, annoying self. Really could not make it through without you! Also, shoutouts to Kim, Madi, Avvet, Milkywaydrinker, Nyannya, BreezyR, and shinyzomi for taking the time to shoot me a review! I really appreciate it! I thrive off of feedback, and hearing what you guys think and what you would like to see helps me write, so please don't be shy! I make a point to reply to every review and every question asked of me! And now, without further adieu, Chapters 13 and 14!

Chapter 13

The room was warm and quiet as Akko came to. The first thing she became aware of was the ache that seemed to extend from her head right down to her feet, followed by the furious pounding in her. It took her a couple minutes, but eventually, she managed to open her eyes.

She was back in Trixie's apartment, on what felt like the futon. Shifting, she felt a spring dig into her back, confirming that it was the futon. Trying to focus back on her surroundings, she became aware of what sounded like sizzling and the smell of hot oil reached her nose, making her stomach growl.

Groaning, she attempted to sit up, only to flop back down into the pillows when her muscles all seemed to protest at once. It just hurt too much. She tried to think back, remember what happened. There was the fall, she had missed and hit the monsters shoulder. It had flailed, she'd lost her grip on Diana and must have crashed into a shipping container and blacked out. She had no idea what happened to the murderer or "Oh my god Diana!" She bolted upright, then groaned in pain.

"Akko? Oh damn, Akko take it easy!" The next thing she knew Arya was at her side, smelling like chicken tenders and helping her lay back down "Easy there. Your body took a beating."

It took her a minute to find her voice. When she did she learned her throat was all scratchy and her voice was hoarse "W-where's Diana?"

"Safe. She killed that monster while protecting you. She and Trix are in the bedroom making their report to Lord Death. They should be done soon."

Akko nodded and then her stomach growled again, louder this time. Arya chuckled "Here, let me go finish dinner. I made chicken tenders."

"Wait, dinner?" Akko asked, confusion in her voice

Arya nodded "You slept the rest of last night and all of today. It's almost 6:30. Here, stay still. When I finish dinner, I'll tell you everything that happened. Sound good?"

Akko nodded and Arya went to go cook, leaving the younger meister to her thoughts.

(~*~*~*~*~*~)

"Miss Cavendish that sounds fantastic! Congratulations to you and Miss Kagari! I'm so proud of you both." Lord Death was in the mirror across from Trixie's bed while Diana was perched daintily on the edge, her hands in her lap and her legs crossed at the ankle. Next to her was Trixie, who was sitting cross-legged on the bed.

Diana managed a smile "Thank you, Lord Death, we both appreciate it."

Trixie put her hand on Diana's shoulder lightly "How about you go check on Akko?"

Diana, taking the hint, nodded and stood. She gave a polite bow to Lord Death's reflection in the mirror and then left, leaving him and Trixie alone "Sir, something is still bothering me."

"Oh? What's that?"

"The way the monster seemed to almost...evolve. I don't think he did it on his own."

Lord Death was quiet, thinking " Did you sense anything?"

Trixie shook her head "No sir. Arya didn't either."

"Well...for now keep we will keep our eyes peeled. I can't spare anyone to come out and investigate further." it bothered him, but he just didn't have the people at the moment.

"The Greek situation is going that poorly then?"

Lord Death was quiet for a minute "There isn't much promise being shown. Azusa and Ursula are following up on a lead, but I feel they will be there for a long time."

Trixie perked up "Are you going to need someone to fill her teaching position?"

"Potentially. Are you offering?"

"I always did enjoy working with kids. And I'm sure Arya wouldn't mind the time off from work." teaching had been a long-standing dream of hers, and she was eager to move forward towards that dream.

"Didn't you two just get back from leave?"

Trixie shrugged "You know how she is." In truth, the redhead knew she wouldn't be happy, but she hoped she could calm Arya's temper somehow.

Lord Death nodded with a chuckle "That one is hard to forget. Alright, I'll let you go. I'll be in touch soon, and good work!"

"Thank you, sir!" The mirror went blank and Trixie stood and stretched. She was definitely looking forward to some easier work. Good news added to good news when she opened the door and was greeted with the sight of Akko sitting up, splitting a plate of chicken tenders with Arya, who was sitting fully on the bed and Diana, who had perched herself daintily on the edge.

"Well look who decided to join the living!"

"Trixie!"

Trixie chuckled and walked over to the group, taking a seat on the edge of the bed up by Akkos pillows. She reached over and ruffled her hair "Hey kiddo how are you feeling?"

Akko laughed and pushed her hand away "Sore but happy, we got our first soul!"

"Oh, that reminds me!." Arya suddenly jumped up and went over to her large hutch desk and opened a drawer, pulling something out, then came back with what turned out to be an old wooden box "Diana this is for you."

Curious, Diana reached out and took it. The wood felt cold in her hands and as she opened it, she noticed an almost inaudible hum emanating from it. A soft gasp escaped her lips as she caught sight of what was inside. Tucked away inside was a glowing red ball a bit bigger than a baseball floating just above the bottom of the box. Even without the wisps of white flicking off it Diana knew exactly what it was. A corrupted soul. All that remained of the monster they had killed the night before.

Akko craned her neck "What is it? I wanna see!"

Trixie smiled "It's your first step on the road to greatness." Diana reached in and pulled it out of the box. She'd read extensively on them, but she had never seen one in person, and certainly never held one. Even the texture, the slightly squishy, slippery texture of something she couldn't quite seem to get her hand around threw her off. She looked up at the older weapon, a little unsure.

The redhead nodded encouragingly "Go on, just make sure ye chew, they're rubbery. I almost choked on me first one."

Akko watched as Diana looked at the glowing red ball for a minute, still unsure, before taking a deep breath and eating it. She chewed for a minute, almost struggling for a second, before letting out a relaxed sigh. The others started to clap and Arya high-fived her "One down, 99 to go! This calls for a celebration." She got up and headed into the kitchen.

Trixie realized what her partner was doing when she went into the fridge "Arya are you nuts? They're kids they can't drink!"

"So? They're 16! Its legal with parental consent!" the meister argued as she walked back over, the bottles clinking in her hands.

"So? Arya we're not their parents!"

Arya rolled her eyes and handed a bottle to Akko and Diana "No, but we are looking after them. We're like, their pseudo-parents." Trixie rolled her eyes but accepted her bottle nonetheless. Her partner then sat back down with her own and took a long drink.

Akko sniffed at her beer before taking a hesitant sip. She considered the flavors assaulting her tongue before breaking into a smile "It tastes way better than sake! Not-not that I've had sake though…" she finished sheepishly.

Diana looked at her bottle then looked at the group "I propose a toast. To another 99 successful, fairly painless missions." She held up her bottle.

"Here here!" The others reached out and clinked their bottles together before they all took a drink.

(~*~*~*~*~*~)

Later that night, after Arya and Trixie had gone to bed, Akko and Diana finally had a chance to talk. Diana had helped Akko settle in and made sure her bruised and battered companion was settled in before she finally got the chance to indulge in a long, hot shower. Coming out of the bathroom, she was a bit surprised to see Akko still awake "Akko you should be asleep."

"Please, Diana I've been asleep all day I don't want to-what happened to your shoulder?" She had looked up at her partner and noticed her shoulder and upper arm were wrapped in bandages.

Diana cursed herself silently for forgetting to wear a nightgown with sleeves. She didn't want t worry Akko "I hurt myself when I finished off the monster. That's all."

Akko watched as she came over and slipped into bed "Diana?"

"Yes, Akko?"

"What happened after I blacked out?"

Diana looked down at her hands "I had been thrown from you. After getting my bearings I slid between the monsters legs and turned my arm into a blade, catching his fist before it hit us. I managed to push his arm away, which created an opening. I then took advantage and lunged out, stabbing his chest, but catching my shoulder on a spike in the process. I checked to make sure you had a pulse and then Arya and Trixie showed up." She left out the part where she fell unconscious from blood loss. Akko didn't need to know that.

Her partner was quiet for a bit. And when she did speak her voice was quiet "So, you basically beat the monster on your own…"

Diana gave her an odd look "I wouldn't say that."

"But it's true! I didn't do anything! All I did was mess up and get myself hurt! And you!"

"Akko look at me." Akko turned her head and was surprised by the fire in Diana's eyes "The arm that he swung at me was the one with the wounded shoulder. If his arm was at full strength, I wouldn't have been able to stop him from killing us both." She reached over and took Akkos hand "As far as me getting hurt, that was my own stupidity. I didn't aim correctly. Akko you performed admirably. The bravery you showed is something even fully fledged meisters fail to exhibit. You should be proud."

Akko looked at her partner, a warm fuzzy feeling in her chest she couldn't quite identify and tears forming in her eyes. Before Diana could blink Akko was suddenly hugging her tight "Thank you."

She didn't know how, but Diana always seemed to know exactly what to say. Akko was incredibly grateful for that. She didn't know what she'd do without her.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Cerce walked into the throne room, the sound of her footsteps echoing off the marble and bouncing up toward the cavernous ceiling. Coming to a stop a few feet back from the dais, her voice shook a bit as she spoke "M-my lady we have a...complication."

Her master's voice was soft, hardly above a whisper "Yes?"

"A-apparently, one of my spells failed to hold...the body washed up. A team from the DWMA has landed in Athens." She braced for the worst, her body almost trembling.

The silence pressed on for what seemed to be an eternity. Finally, the sound of rustling seemed to break through the roar. Turning, Cerce was greeted with the sight of a massive black snake with red markings rear up behind her. She started to yell but the snake wrapped around her, cutting her lungs off from their much-needed air supply.

Meanwhile, the woman descended from the dais and moved toward Cerce, using magic to put out the candles she passed, keeping herself in the shadows. Even as she reached her captive henchman, Cerce couldn't make her face out. Just the eyes.

"You displeased me, Cerce. And Fidi doesn't like it when his master is displeased. I suggest you fix this, or I may not be able to restrain him next time. Am I clear?"

Cerce managed to nod.

"Good. Come Fidi. We have plans." the snake dropped the other witch, who fell onto all fours coughing as her master walked out of the room, leaving her in the dark. Alone, except for her thoughts and fear.

This was bad. Killing a high-level meister and weapon was no easy task, and their disappearance would be noted. She would have to go through her spell books and see if there was something that would help. At the very least she could try to catch them. Tracking them would be easy enough, there was a spell she could use that would allow her to locate strong souls. She already knew there was only one other soul with that kind of power in the city, out on the outskirts by the old Cup O' Joy ramen noodle factory.

Capturing them might end up being the best option. Yes, it would arouse suspicion but the preparations were almost complete. They would be ready to do the ceremony by the end of January. She could use the agents as sacrifices to make the rituals stronger. A death scythe would add vast amounts of power to the event, pushing the success rate through the roof. Yes, she would attempt- no. She would capture them. Or die trying.

Standing, icy cold fear gave way to burning rage as Cerce left the throne room in a huff, furious that yet again, her master failed to see all she had accomplished and instead focus on one fluke that, in all honesty, would provide the DWMA with too little information too late.

Lost in her own thoughts, Cerce rounded a corner and knocked into a four-man patrol. There was no hesitation, no mercy. Cerce held out her hand as it began to glow with an evil looking whitish orange light. Suddenly there was a whoosh followed by a blast of heat as a fireball materialized in her hand, the light is given off by it casting shadows across her face and showing a crazed, almost psychotic gleam in her eye. Before the guards could even blink, she threw the flames at their feet. There was a whooshing noise again and a blinding white light incinerating every guard she encountered with a fireball. Grinning to herself, she continued on her way, leaving smoldering piles of ash and scorched Greek armor left in her wake.

At one point she went so far as to stop and chant, her voice echoing softly off the dirty stone walls as she summoned up a more powerful explosive ball. Her foot spun on the algae-covered floor with ease as she turned to face an unlit side hall and hurled the ball down it. She cackled as it whistled down the hall, illuminating it as it went before it finally fell to the floor, blowing open a narrow but quite deep opening. Debris ricocheted off the walls and clattered to the floor as she strode away.

The floor began to rise up to meet her and it got noticeably warmer as she emerged from the underground ruins and into the small clearing ringed with forest. Greeted by a soft, warm breeze, Cerce closed her eyes and turned her face skyward, letting the warmth wash over her and the feel of the wind calm the raging inferno inside her.

She hated being cooped up underground. Dim lighting forever casting shadows that always seemed to dance across the old grey stone floors and walls sometimes made it hard to see what was around you. The floors always seemed to be damp with moisture and algae, making them slick and treacherous at times. The musty odor was inescapable, and the whole thing had an awful claustrophobic feel to it. Not to mention the rats, spiders and the occasional snake that took up residence. No, she definitely couldn't stand being cooped up underground. Not when she could be outside.

Outside and free.

She opened her grey eyes and let her magic flow through her. It was time to leave, she some scouting to do and an appointment to keep.


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey hey hey! Welcome back! Not too much to say here, just the promised double update! And, as always, shout to my fantastically amazing beta ImaginaryEngineer, without whom I would have probably given up by now.
> 
> Shout outs to Alscora, MadiKaldwin and Shiku for taking time out to leave me a review! as well as everyone else who dropped me a kudo!
> 
> And now on to the main event!

Hey hey hey! Welcome back! Not too much to say here, just the promised double update! And, as always, shout to my fantastically amazing beta ImaginaryEngineer, without whom I would have probably given up by now.

Kinoco-Cha: First, thank you for taking the time to leave a review! I appreciate the feedback! I'll try and work them in later after this next short little arch Akko and Diana are moving in to. I'll also have a lot more of them in the sequel I have yet to announce, I promise.

And now on to the main event!

Chapter 15

Ursula and Azusa were at the pier an hour before the delivery gathering intelligence. Azusa was crouched behind a crate with a headset on facing the luxury yacht docked at the pier, buried deep in the shadows it cast. Meanwhile, on the other end of the pier, Ursula was hanging off the end of the pier itself, bracing herself with her feet on a small stone block poking out from the rest of the stonework. She also had a headset on

"Next time you're hanging off the edge, Azusa."

200 hundred feet away, Azusa chuckled. "Perhaps we should focus on now, then talk about next time. Are you ready?"

"Yes, but are you sure your Telesychronization will work at this close a range?"

"100%. No matter how close or far you are, I can resonate with you because of it."

"Alright, let's go then!"

Both women lowered their heads and focused on their souls. While Ursula couldn't reach out far, Azusa met her easily. That's what Telesychonrization was, the ability to link souls over great distances. That was only one of Azusa's powers. The other one that she possessed, the one that made her the foremost power in reconnaissance and intelligence gathering, was Thousand Mile-Eyes.

Once she resonated her soul with her meister, she was able to project soul wavelength off them and see everything in up to a 160-foot radius, including people. "Six security guards. Lightly arms. Two have dogs, we need to be careful not to cross their paths. There is one other person but I can't tell… there is a spell on their meeting room. Stay out of sight and stay alert."

"Copy." Ursula carefully pulled herself up over the edge and right into the shadows. Quietly she crept closer to Azusa. She had just crossed by the gangway when Azusa met her. She held a finger to her lips and pointed out into the walkway.

A well-dressed man had descended from the gangway and turned to face the road, his hands behind his back and face upturned. Minutes passed in silence before a screech sounded from the black depths of the starless night. Out of nowhere a falcon defended from the black and changed into a tall, thin woman with dark colored hair. She stepped forward and shook hands with the man who Ursula could tell, even from her distance, was trembling. Probably from fear. After exchanging pleasantries they turned and boarded the ship.

"Well? Now what?" Ursula turned to her partner.

"We creep in and kill the witch. I have the layout of the ship from using Thousand Mile- Eyes. Just stay alert." She changed and landed in Ursula's hands "Stop standing around, let's go!"

The ship was a downright labyrinth. The hallways were narrow, and the bulkheads lower than she would have liked. Close quarters combat would be a nightmare. They needed to make sure they got in and got out quickly. Especially with the witch blocking Azusa's sight. She got the layout of the ship, but she couldn't actively use it to track the guards.

Ursula stopped and lifted the crossbow so she could look at Azusa's reflection in the stock "Azusa I don't think we should continue with the mission. I have a bad feeling about this."

"I do as well, but this is our only lead. I say we proceed with great caution."

Ursula sighed "Why don't we track her from here. Then we can find her headquarters."

"You're going to track a black falcon through the night sky?"

"You really think she'll fly her supplies home?"

"No, I don't think she's going to walk out with them. I also don't think this is the time or place to argue this!"

She had a point. For a minute meister and weapon glared at each other, then Azusa's expression changed "Ursula behind-"

The meister whipped around and held up Azusa to protect her face, her arms almost buckling under the sheer force delivered to Azusa's stock by a sword blade. Ursula's years of training and muscle toning won out, however, and with a grunt, she managed to throw off the blade. She shot a bolt at her attacker before ducking to the side and behind a bulkhead.

Panting softly, she looked down at Azusa's stock as her face appeared "Did you see who attacked us? How did you not detect him?"

Her partner nodded "He had soul protect, we still haven't found a way around that spell but apparently witches can use it to hide other souls from us as well now. This is very bad."

Ursula nodded in agreement "And the guy that attacked us?"

"He seemed to be a semi-corporeal being. There was a soul there but it was very faint and laced with magic. I think it was created by magic just to act as a power source for the bodies."

"That would explain the strength of his attack. Alright, let's go!" Ursula popped around the edge of the doorway to fire off a shot, only to lower Azusa when she realized the guard was gone "Oh that's not good."

"I agree. I think a retreat and call for reinforcements would be our best option."

"I'm glad you agree!" With that Ursula turned around and started to retrace her steps. She couldn't help but notice how luxurious the ship was. While the walls and bulkheads were white painted steel, the carpet was a plush scarlet red that muffled her footsteps. As she moved she also took notice of several paintings hanging on the wall, all in gilded frames. It was clear the owner of the ship was quite well off.

She continued to move, however her instincts told her something was wrong. She ducked down a side hall and knelt down, listening intensely for sounds of movement of any kind. When she heard none she grunted in confirmation "There's no pursuit. Can you see anything?"

"No, they're all using soul protect. We need to get out of here. Either through The main exit or- can you swim?"

Ursula laughed and rubbed the back of her head, trying not to think about the last time she tried to swim "What me? Swim? Of course, I can!"

Azusa rolled her eyes "We're going to abandon ship via porthole. It will be quicker and easier than trying to find an exit."

Nodding and standing, Ursula poked her head out before dashing down a side hall at Azusa's instruction. She rounded a corner, then another, only to find herself at a dead end "Azusa what's going on?"

"I- I don't understand. I couldn't see this wall at all!"

"Of course you didn't. You really thought I would let you onto my ship without having a few cards up my sleeve?"

The feminine voice from behind sent chills up Ursula's spine as she twirled around, raising Azusa as she did so. However as fast as she was, the woman behind her was faster. Before the professor could pull the trigger her whole body went cold and then numb as all feeling drained from it. Azusa fell from her hands and hit the carpeted floor with a dull thud, followed by Ursula's body.

She tried to move, or even make a sound, but her body refused to respond. The best she could do was look around, which at least allowed her to see her attacker. No surprise to her, it was Cerce.

The crazed witch cackled "What's the matter, Ursula? I didn't think you would be one to freeze under pressure! No matter, you'll loosen up as soon as you see your new accommodations! Boys, get 'em out of here."

Ursula watched helplessly as Cerce turned on her heel and strutted away, her simple, navy blue dress billowing behind her as she walked. Catching movement out of the corner of her eye, she looked over in time to see a polished black boot swing at her head.

Pain burst out from the point of impact, cascading across her face and through the rest of her head. Unable to move, she could only lay there helplessly as a second blow came, followed by an intense, white-hot pain, blurry vision and then nothing.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

"Okay, so here are your tickets ladies. Diana, your train leaves in an hour and a half. Akko your plane leaves in 4 hours. Just take the subway to the stations. We would take you ourselves but a mission just dropped, and we have to pack and leave ourselves."

Akko and Diana were getting ready to head home. Trixie was giving them a quick rundown while Arya briefed with Lord Death in their bedroom. "Is that why Arya is not coming to say goodbye?"

Trixie nodded "Aye, but don't worry. Ye'll be seeing us much sooner than ye think. Now hurry up before ye miss yer plane!"

"I have four hours!"

"Precisely! Get moving!"

"But wait you never trained us!"

"Soon Akko. I promise. We can't do it while you guys are hurt, but we will train ye."

"Wait, so we'll see you guys again?"

"Yes, Akko."

"How soon?"

"Akko get going before you miss your plane!"

Akko huffed and Diana sighed. Even after everything they had just gone through, Akko was still just so...Akko. Trixie came forward and gave them both a hug before stepping back. Akko bowed and Diana shook her hand. "Thank you both for everything. If you're ever in town, please come look us up."

Trixie smiled. "Absolutely."

After climbing out the window and down the fire escape, both girls found their way to the subway alright. The ride passed quietly while they stayed in their own heads, still processing their adventure. Something was clear to Akko however. Something was bothering Diana. It was time to start trying to drop the walls.

"Diana?"

The blonde looked up and over at her partner "Yes Akko?"

"What's wrong?"

Diana blinked "Nothing is wrong Akko. I'm just tired is all."

Akko shook her head. "You've been quieter than usual all day. You're not even reading! I can tell something is bothering you. Talk to me."

"Akko, it's not something I wish to talk about."

"So something is bothering you!"

Diana pinched the bridge of her nose between her thumb and forefinger and sighed "Yes. Something is bothering me."

"Well, what is it?" Akko didn't know when to quit. Sometimes it really came in handy. Other times, like now, it was a pain and Akko wouldn't give in until Diana told her.

"I'm just...not looking forward to going home."

"What? Aren't you looking forward to seeing your family?"

"No."

"Not even your father?"

At that Diana looked up at her, an odd look on her face "Akko, s. top." she had the tone again but this time Akko didn't drop it.

"You know if I had the chance to spend the holiday with my family I would jump at it!"

That caught Diana off guard "What?"

"My parents won a trip for two to Fiji, so I'm not going to see them this year. But I can't stay in the DWMA dorms because they're doing work on them."

"So you're going to spend Christmas alone?"

"Well I might see my aunt if she can make it home in time, but she lives in Germany, and she's a police lieutenant. Crime never rests you know?"

The train began to slow down. Akko was annoying, and she never thought before she spoke or acted, and she was incredibly loud at times. But she was still Diana's partner, and really she was more than that. She was becoming her friend. And it really bothered her that she would most likely be alone on Christmas. As the train slowed and arrived at a stop, Diana stood and offered out her hand to Akko "Why don't you come home with me?"

Akko blinked, very much shocked "What?"

"Don't make me repeat myself."

"Diana I don't know, I don't want to intrude and Arya bought that plane ticket, plus I don't have the money for a train ticket."

"I'll take care of it. I don't want you to spend Christmas alone. Now hurry up before we miss the stop." Diana kept her hand out.

Akko looked at her partner and couldn't help but smile. Maybe the wall had started to crumble a bit. Akko took her hand and got up to go and spend Christmas with her friend.

(~ ~ ~ ~ ~)

"Diana?"

"Yes Akko?"

"Are we there yet?"

"No."

…

"Diana?"

"Yes, Akko?"

"Now?"

"No."

…

"Diana?"

"Yes?"

"How about now?"

"Akko if you ask that question one more time so help me you're walking!"

Akko whined and leaned back into her seat with a dramatic thump. Diana's chauffeur had met them at the train station, and they were now on what seemed to be a very long, very boring drive to some village called Wedingburgh. And from there they would head to Cavendish Manor.

And it wasn't even like it was an interesting drive. All there was to look at was a mix of forest and snowed over farm fields. Even the livestock pens got old quickly. It was just starting to get dark when they passed through Wedingburgh.

That was when Diana spoke up "Akko, there is something I need to tell you."

Akko, who was starting to doze off, jerked awake "Huh? Yes Diana what is it?"

There was an odd look on Diana's face, a cross between annoyance and distaste maybe? Akko couldn't quite place it. "My aunt and two cousins stay at the manor year round. They will be there for Christmas."

"Oh. That's all?"

"Just… Try not to say much around them, alright?"

"Why?"

Despite prodding Diana refused to say more. After another couple of minutes worth of driving, they turned off the main road onto a gravel driveway lined with trees. They created a small hill and Akkos jaw dropped.

Sitting in front of them was a huge medieval castle complete with moat and bridge. It seemed to be built out of some type of yellow limestone or sandstone, with a gatehouse on the other side of the bridge. After crossing the bridge, Akko got a good look at a few outbuildings, including a stable, and a snowed over garden surrounded by the circular driveway.

Up close the castle was even more imposing. There were trees planted on either side of the entryway that, while tall, were dwarfed by the towers that stood sentinel over all. Next to the door, a few workers were lined up, although Akko wasn't sure why.

After coming to a stop, Akko got out and couldn't help but just stare. Meanwhile, Diana waited for the driver to come around and open the door. Getting out she looked over to see Akko and shook her head "Akko, focus."

"What? Oh right." she tried to stay calm as best she could, but she was full to the brim with excitement. There was so much to take in!

"Milady." looking over Akko noticed Diana had gone over to an older woman wearing a black dress under a white apron, standing at the head of the line of staff.

"Anna, it's good to see you again. How are you?"

"I am well milady. Thank you for asking. How are you?" Despite the frown lines on her face and severe demeanor, there was a fondness in her voice that suggested to Akko that she and Diana were fairly close.

The young heiress paused for a second "I'm well, thank you. I brought a guest along to join us for the holidays. Anna, this is Atsuko Kagari, my meister. Akko, this is our head housekeeper Anna."

Akko came forwards as Anna gave a polite bow."It's nice to meet you Miss Kagari."

She returned the bow happily "It's nice to meet you as well, please call me Akko!"

"Anna, can you please prepare a room for Akko, preferably near my own, and have her luggage brought there?"

"Of course milady."

"Thank you." Diana then turned to Akko "Lets head inside."

Anna watched as Akko followed Diana inside, gawking at everything as she did so, and shook her head. Out of all the students in that school, how in the world had Diana ended up with someone so…air headed?


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey hey hey welcome back! Not too much to report on, just another update for your enjoyment! As always big thank you to my beta ImaginaryEngineer, without whom none of this would be possible!
> 
> Shout outs to madiKaldwin and Alscora for leaving a review! Thank you so much!
> 
> Alright, here we go! And if you have a minute and wouldn't mind leaving feedback, good or bad, please do! ! I thrive off of it and it really helps me improve my writing!

Chapter 17

Akko sat on Diana's queen sized bed while Diana changed in her en-suite bathroom. She was stuffed into one of Diana's old dresses, a pink one with a bow she supposedly outgrew when she was 12.

Groaning, she flopped back onto the overstuffed bed, disrupting the otherwise smooth, well-made surface and putting wrinkles in the off-white comforter with tasteful sky blue scrollwork patterning "Diana you've been in there for twenty minutes! I'm hungry!"

"Akko will you stop complaining! I'll be out in a minute!" Diana yelled out. She was struggling to get her plain, light blue dress on with her shoulder being injured. She barely managed to get the straps over her shoulders, and the zipper was a lost cause. Blouses she could get into well enough with the buttons on the front, but she couldn't bend her good arm to reach the zipper on the back of her dress.

She had limited options and unfortunately changing wasn't one of them. Akko would have a cow if she tried to change into something else and make her wait longer. Groaning in frustration, Diana leaned against the white marble sink and mulled over her options. She could have Akko grab Anna, but she was no doubt busy finishing Akkos room and then getting the table set for dinner. And besides, one look at her shoulder and Anna would spend the rest of the night lecturing her. She was a lovely woman but could be overprotective at times. She only had one choice.

Diana walked over to the bathroom door and, using her bad arm to hold her dress up, opened the door with her good arm and poked her head out "Akko? I need your assistance. Please."

Akko sat up "Huh? Yeah sure, what is it?"

Diana felt her cheeks begin to get warm "With my arm being like it is, I can't seem to get the zipper on my dress."

"Oh! Yeah sure I got it!" Akko hopped up and walked over "I used to have that problem when I was little. My mom had to help me all the time." Diana stepped back so Akko could come in "I used to twirl in them until I fell over. My mom wouldn't let me wear them anymore after I fell one time and hit my head really hard."

Diana couldn't help but crack a small smile. It was something that would have only come from Akko. She turned around so Akko could get the zipper.

Akko reached for the zipper and paused for a second. She couldn't help but notice just how pale and smooth Diana's skin was. And then something else caught her attention causing her heart to drop into her stomach.

There were stark white bandages running diagonally across Diana's back up toward her shoulder. Reaching out, Akko let her fingers breeze over them, nudging fabric aside and tracing up to her shoulder to the medical gauze the bandages held in place. Then she rounded to Diana's front, sliding her dress strap down as she did so, her fingers ghosting around Diana's shoulder.

"Akko what are you-" Diana's outrage and confusion evaporated quickly when she realized what Akko was looking at.

The spike had clipped several larger veins in her shoulder, and while Trixie and Arya had done their best to stitch her up, it had only been 4 days and her wound was still bleeding. Looking down, it looked like she had bled through the dressing a bit.

The look of dismay on Akkos face said it all. She thought they had worked through this, but apparently, Akko still felt some blame "Akko, it's ok." Her meisters hand lingered on her shoulder, fingers hardly touching yet still rising and falling with Diana's chest as she breathed.

However, Akko just shook her head and went behind her, quickly zipping up her dress "There! Come on let's go eat I'm starving." she gave a fake smile but inside guilt was still eating at her. A meister protects their weapon. What kind of meister am I? I won't let it happen again. Ever!

Seeming to read her mind, Diana grabbed Akkos hand to stop her from walking away "Akko, I told you it's not your fault."

"I know I just... Seeing it was a bit of a shock, that's all."

"I'm going to be fine. I promise."

Akko just nodded, Diana had a feeling Akko still had a bit of guilt. She also had a feeling that it would be awhile before it finally went away "Come on, let's go eat. I know you're hungry." She, however, didn't have much of an appetite. Walking down the hall with Akko, all she could focus on was the other people who would be attending the meal.

"Akko, this is my Aunt Daryl and cousins Maril and Merrill. Aunt Daryl, Maril, Merrill, this is my meister Atsuko Kagari."

Akko found herself in an elegant, but moderately sized dining room. She was standing next to Diana facing what she swore were three clones. The taller woman, Daryl, was taller than her and Diana but had the same blue eyes and blonde hair with green highlights Diana had. Flanking her on either side were Maril and Merrill, not that she could tell the two apart. They wore their hair shorter, and wore dresses and scarves in opposite colors from each other. They all had on blueish purple lipstick that reminded Akko of poison.

Daryl looked at her curiously " I don't recall ever hearing of the Kagari family. Are you from a foreign noble family?"

Akko chuckled and rubbed the back of her head nervously "Oh, no Ma'am. Firmly middle class."

"But you must at least be descended from noteworthy meisters? I can't see Diana pairing up with anyone who wasn't."

Diana's eyes narrowed but Akko cut her off before she could speak "No Ma'am, I'm the first in my family!"

Suddenly the two young women flanking her burst into laughter "Really Diana? This was the best you could come up with after Andrew dumped you?"

The other one wiped a tear of laughter her eye "And you want to be a death scythe? Does she even know which end of the sword to stab with?"

Akko got an annoyed look on her face "Excuse me! We're doing really well thank you!" somehow she didn't believe her own words, however. And apparently, it showed.

"Look she doesn't even have confidence in her own words!"

"She thinks she's going to wield a Cavendish? Even a low level, damaged Cavendish like Diana is still a better weapon than most!"

"Hey! She is not damaged!"

"Enough!" Diana finally exploded, causing the room to go silent. "Akko is a strong, capable meister! I won't allow you to treat my guest and friend this way!"

The twins looked at their mother, who scoffed " The disrespect that comes out of you never ceases to amaze me. You forget your place Diana."

Diana's eyes narrowed "I believe you're the one who's forgotten her place. I'm not the one from the cadet branch of House Cavendish."

"No, but you are a 16-year-old girl who won't take her place as head of the family until she turns 21. Until then, you will show me the respect I deserve!"

"The only thing you deserve is a-"

"MILADIES AND HONORED GUEST!"

The Cavendishes and Akko all turned to see Anna standing in the doorway "Begging your pardon, dinner is ready. If you are as well then I will send the servers in."

Diana seemed to get it together the quickest "Yes that would be fine. Thank you, Anna."

Akko watched her walk away. Wow, she shut that down quick. She's a pro.

The meal itself was amazing. It was four courses, starting with a salad then moved into a great soup of some sort. That was followed by the best steak Akko had ever had and then the whole thing was wrapped up with little fruit tarts. She was pretty much in a food coma by the end.

The atmosphere surrounding the meal, however, was like a weight pressing down on her. Diana sat at one end of the table with Akko on her right, while Daryl sat at the other end flanked by her daughters. No one looked at anyone else. At least for Akko, she was afraid she was going to trigger another fight. It was all she could do not to bolt from the table as soon as the meal was over.

She was about to the door when Diana's aunt called out "Oh, Diana?" Akko cringed as they both turned around to see Daryl standing, a hand on her hip and a smirk on her face " A word of wisdom. Catching corrupted souls and hunting witches is very dangerous. I suggest you watch your back. I wouldn't want you to end up like dear Bernadette."

One of Daryl's daughters got a shocked look on her face, something not lost to Akko. None the less, the hair on the back of her neck stood on end. If she didn't know any better, she would have said that sounded like a threat. And the really odd thing was, just for a second, Daryl's eyes seemed to adopt a red hue to them. Just for a split-second. Then they went back to their normal crystal blue, just a few shades off from Diana's.


	18. Chpater 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey hey hey welcome back! I hope all is well with you guys! Not too much to say here other than I hope you all enjoy the double update! Also, thank you my amazing beta ImaginaryEngineer, couldn't do this without her!
> 
> Also, thank yous to Alscora, Shelbyfish,Flo07225, madiKaldwin, FearoftheKnown, and Vangeer for tanking the time to leave a review! much appreciated!
> 
> If your thinking about leaving a review, please do! Positive or constructive I appreciate them all and I love the chance to talk with my readers! I promise I will reply to every review left for me!

Chapter 18

Diana closed her bedroom door behind her and then leaned against it with a sigh. That was an absolute disaster. She should never have brought Akko along, but she didn't want the poor girl to be alone on Christmas either. And then for Daryl to bring her mother up like that!

She slid down the door, coming to a stop when she was sitting on the floor and put her head in her hands. She wasn't sure if things could get any worse right now.

"Mother?"

Merrill sat alone with her mother in the den while her sister had gone to get something. The room had always given Merrill the creeps. There wasn't anything wrong with it per se. The furniture was all mahogany and worn brown leather, the walls a warm inviting beige. A merrily crackling fire in a white marble fireplace and an elegant crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling. The whole room gave off elegance and warmth.

And yet Merrill still felt a shiver run down her spine.

Daryl didn't look up from the old book she was reading "Yes Merrill?"

"Was it really necessary to bring up Aunt Bernadette like that? You know how upset Diana gets."

Daryl scoffed and shut her book with a thump "Honestly Merrill, I was making a point. What the two of them do is dangerous, I was merely making sure she was aware of that."

Merrill sat down in an overstuffed chair across from her mother "This is Diana we're talking about mother. I think she's perfectly aware of the dangers involved in what she does."

"She's also quite stubborn and headstrong. And with that meister of hers, she needs to remember what's at stake."

Merrill rolled her eyes "I think she's more than aware of that. Why are you so mean to her all the time? She doesn't deserve it."

Daryl's eyes flashed red " Enough Merrill. There are things at play you don't understand."

"Like what? This is my family too mother! Just tell me already!"

Daryl stood "Enough! I think it's time you went to bed Merrill."

Merrill stood as well "Excuse me? I'm twenty you don't get to just send me to bed!"

Daryl's eyes flashed red again and she stepped forward, locking eyes with her defiant daughter "Merrill, go to bed."

"I'm twenty I'll go to bed when I feel like it! "

"I'm simply trying to look out for my daughter Merrill. I don't understand where this attitude is coming from! Your beginning to sound like your cousin and I don't care for it!"

Merrill humphed "There's nothing wrong with Diana mother! What is it with you and her she sixteen! You're picking a fight with a teenager!"

"You wouldn't understand. You're young."

Merrill yelled and tossed her hands in the air "I'm done! Good night!" She turned on her heel and stormed off. As she strode down the hall toward the wing of the manor that had her bedroom, she decided to take a short detour.

( ~*~*~*~*~*~)

Diana was still sitting against her door in the dark when there was a soft knock on it "Not now Akko…"

"I-Its not Akko." Diana looked up, surprise on her face. She got up and composed herself before opening the door "Merrill?"

Sure enough, there stood her older cousin "Can I come in?"

Diana looked at her, questioning her motives, before finally standing aside and letting her in "Do you need something?"

Merrill took a deep breath as Diana closed the door, waiting to speak until it was closed. Once she was sure they were in complete privacy she took a deep breath "I just wanted to apologize for what I said at dinner. It was rude and uncalled-for. And I also wanted to apologize for Mother. I don't know what's gotten into her lately, she should never have brought up Aunt Bernadette. I don't know why, but she's just become so much more…"

"Unprincipled?" supplied Diana

Merrill shook her head "Outlandish. She's been spending a lot of time either like, abroad or with just Maril alone in her study."

The young weapon frowned "That isn't like her."

Her cousin nodded in agreement "She seems to be, like, focused on something, I just don't know what. She won't tell me. I don't think even Maril knows everything."

Diana just gave a small nod and mulled things over, crossing her arms and looking just over Merrill's shoulder at the warm, off-white wall while she thought. Whatever Daryl was up to, it couldn't be good, and probably not something Merrill was equipped to handle "Just keep an eye on the situation. If anything else happens, please contact me. You should still have my cell phone number?"

The other blonde nodded "I do. Thank you, Diana. I should probably like, get going. Have a good night."

"You as well." Diana turned so Merrill could pass her, but her cousin tripped on what seemed to be her own feet, consequently causing her to bump into Diana's bad shoulder. Diana yelped as she staggered back a step and grabbed her shoulder.

"Oh my God I'm so sorry are you ok?" Merrill seemed to be genuinely concerned. Diana nodded but when she moved her hand there was blood on it, as well as the dress. Merrill's eyes widened "Diana what happened?"

Her younger cousin shook her head, fighting to keep her voice calm through the fading pain "I don't want to discuss it, Merrill."

"God Diana I'm not my mother and I'm not my sister! You can talk to me, you know that!"

Both Cavendish women put their hand on their hip and glared at each other, becoming almost mirror images. Finally, the truth of Merrill's words sank in.

She was right. Out of her three relatives, Merrill had always been the kindest to her, going as far as playing with her when she was younger and reading her stories. At least until Daryl put a stop to it. However, despite her interference, the relationship between the two never quite died out.

Diana finally relaxed and relented. Her gut told her she could trust Merrill, and she hoped she could trust it "Akko and I had a mission in Glasgow."

"That's why you were, like, almost a week late?"

"Correct. It was only supposed to take two days, however, I was injured in the fight."

Merrill's face took on a look of surprise and concern " Oh my God Diana what happened?"

"I was stabbed in the shoulder. It was my own fault, not Akkos." she wanted to make that clear before Merrill could get any ideas.

"Why haven't you seen a doctor? You're clearly hurt!"

"The meister and weapon aiding us stitched me up. When you bumped into me the wound must have reopened."

"Here at least let me clean it and put a fresh bandage on it. I owe you that much."

"I can manage, but you have my thanks."

"Diana, please. Let me help." she crossed her arms and stared at her younger cousin, suddenly reminding the prodigy of her aunt.

Diana looked at her a long minute before reluctantly nodding her consent.

Merrill nodded "Thank you, come on."

Merrill led her into her bathroom and clicked on the light, blinding Diana while Merrill closed the door behind her. While Diana stood there, letting her eyes adjust, her cousin went into the stainless steel medicine cabinet and pulled out a small first aid kit that all the bathrooms in the manor were stocked with. She set it on the white marble counter looked over at Diana, who was just standing there awkwardly "Are you alright?"

Diana mumbled something not quite audible and wouldn't look Merrill in the eye.

"What?"

The younger girl sighed and looked over at the white wall of the bathroom "I said I can't reach the zipper with my good arm and the bad one doesn't bend." by the time she was done her cheeks had a faint red hue to them.

Merrill didn't say anything. Instead, she walked around her cousin and gently pulled the zipper down, revealing her back, bra strap and the stark white bandages running across her back towards her shoulder. Merrill felt her heart break a tiny bit. Diana was her little cousin, no matter how grown up she was or tried to act, and seeing her hurt both upset her and made her want to hunt down the one who hurt Diana and hurt them. With a short piece of pipe.

"Merrill? Hello?" Diana had turned around, using her good arm to hold her dress up.

Merrill shook her head a bit "Hmm? Oh yes, go ahead and hop up on the counter. Just be careful."

Diana followed her cousin's instructions with an indignant look. Once she was on the counter, Merrill came over "Can you move your arm? I need to look at your shoulder. Don't look at me like that. I need to get to the wound."

The young woman sighed but, having no choice, moved her arm and letting the dress slide down, revealing part of her bra and causing her cheeks to heat up, but also revealing her shoulder.

Merrill undid the dressing and removed it before opening the first aid kit. Finally, she turned back and carefully peeled the blood-soaked bandages off of her young cousin's shoulder.

It looked horrible. It was a dark, scarlet color, with some purple and green bruising surrounding it. The mostly open wound had yellowish scabbing ringing it. There were a few stitches, however, they looked like they had torn loose, probably when she had tripped and bumped into Diana.

Even after Merrill used a wet cloth to clean the blood, it was still an angry red and inflamed, as well as blazing hot "Diana it looks horrible! You need to get this looked at! The stitches didn't even hold!"

Diana looked right ahead, her voice flat and without much emotion" Our doctor is on vacation until next week."

"By next week your arm will have fallen off. Why don't you go to an emergency clinic?"

"And risk Aunt Daryl finding out? No."

Merrill sighed. There was one other option she could try, but she didn't know how Diana would react. Or if it would work. It had always worked on her own small cuts but this was bigger. Much bigger. If she didn't do this, however, there was a chance Diana could die of infection. The wound was already oozing a yellowish pus-like liquid. She didn't have a choice. "I think... I think I can try something…."

Her cousin caught the note of fear in her voice and looked over at her, concern on her face " What's wrong?"

"Just... Please don't tell anyone, ok? Especially not mother."

"I won't. What are you going to do?"

Merrill didn't answer. Instead, she came forward and placed her right hand on Diana's shoulder blade. Then she took her left hand and held it just over the wound, her hand slightly cupped. Finally, she gathered her strength and bowed her head, closing her eyes and trying to focus hard "Vix fix vixon vixon. Vix fix vixon vixon. Fix fix vixon Vixonea!"

Diana's eyes widened as Merrill's hand began to glow with a soft yellow light. At the same time and odd feeling came over her shoulder, it was warm and tingly but also had a curious...popping sensation as well. Merrill stood there, doing what Diana quickly identified as magic. Just as she was starting to get alarmed the glowing and sensations stopped. Merrill moved her hands away and stood but swayed and threw her hand out to catch herself before she fell over.

"Merrill are you alright?" Diana at that point became more concerned over her cousins well-being than the magic she had just done. However, Merrill nodded "Just tired. How's your shoulder?"

Diana carefully rolled her shoulder, and while it hurt, it wasn't nearly as bad as before. The skin was now a soft pink color and any swelling or inflammation was now totally gone. The overall size of the hole was also much smaller. The weapon looked at her older cousin, her face full of mixed emotions. "How?"

Merrill looked down at her hands. "I don't know. I didn't even know I could do that until a year ago. I discovered it by accident after I nicked my finger on a rose thorn. Mother told me never to use it and not to tell anyone, or I would damage the family name and maybe even be killed but I found a book in the library that helped me learn to use it for healing. I can do mid sized bruises, cuts and splinters by focusing on an animal."

Diana nodded "And you picked a vixon. I suppose I can understand how you do it. Demon weapons were made by a witch sacrificing other witches and fusing their souls to weapons. Our very nature is magical. With the history of our family and all the weapons in it, it would make sense that magic is in our blood as well. Aunt Daryl is right though, you need to be careful Merrill. If the wrong person where to find out about this…"

The other blonde nodded "I know. I won't tell. Here let's finish this up." She grabbed the cloth and finished cleaning the wound before dressing it with smaller bandages and tape "There. Now you don't have to wrap, like, miles of bandages around yourself."

Diana slid off the counter and used her good arm to hold up her dress "Thank you, Merrill."

"You're welcome. I think I'm going to actually go to bed now. Have a good night Diana."

"You too Merrill. Thank you."

Her cousin left, leaving Diana alone in her room to ponder. Merrill was magical. In an ancient and powerful family well-known for producing death scythes, Merrill was magical!

She walked over to her closet and started to work on the now less arduous task of changing into her nightgown, wondering what other secrets her family had.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Azusa came to first. The first thing she became aware of was a pounding headache. The second was a stiff pain in her shoulders and upper back. She tried to shift and that was when she learned she was actually standing upright with her arms above her head.

Opening her eyes, it took a minute for her eyes to adjust to the darkness, but when she did she realized she was in some sort of dungeon. The room was built from old grey/blue stone that was crumbling on the edges, with a ceiling was low and water dripped from several cracks laced through stone. The temperature was low, almost chilly and when her eyes finally finished adjusting she noticed that there was moss and algae growing on the walls. She also noticed she was alone.

Wherever we are, we're deep underground. Escaping will be difficult…

Looking up, Azusa followed the chains up to the ceiling. Unlike the rest of the room, the chains and shackles seemed to be new. After mulling things over she tried to change into her crossbow form, only to have the shackles around her wrists heat up and then have what felt like electricity rocket through her body, causing her body to spasm and then go limp.

She dangled there for several minutes, panting and trying to get her wits about her before the sound of boot steps caught her attention. She struggled to her feet as a door in the corner opened and a tall Greek woman came in, followed by two men carrying a body between them.

It wasn't until they threw it on the floor that Azusa saw that it was Ursula. Before she could do anything, however, the woman noticed she was awake "Why good morning! Boys, it looks like our other guest has finally decided to join us!"

Azusa glared at her "Cerce. I see you've finally decided to crawl out from under whatever rock you've been hiding under. What did you do to my meister?"

Cerce laughed "Why Azusa! Long time no see how have you been? I must admit it's been quite boring without you trying to kill me every five minutes."

"Oh well I'm so sorry for the inconvenience. Next time I'll make sure death sticks. Now, what did you do to my meister?"

"Who her? Oh, she seems to have eaten something that doesn't quite agree with her. Don't worry it won't kill her, at least it shouldn't in any case, but it might help loosen her tongue a little bit."

Azusa strained against the restrains "So help me Cerce when I get out of here-"

"You'll what? Try to kill me? Honey, please. You couldn't do it last time and I've only gotten stronger since then. Something you clearly failed to do. Oh by the way, do you like the shackles? It's something my boss came up with. Makes it so much easier to keep you demon weapons in check! Well, I have to go. I'll be back soon though so just hang tight!" She cackled and walked out with the guards. As soon as she was gone Azusa tried in vain to break the shackles.

So she settled in to wait. Ursula seemed to be breathing, so she was at least alive. One odd thing she noticed though, and maybe it was the lighting, but the ends of Ursula's hair looked red.

(~ ~ ~ ~ ~ )

After what seemed like ages, Ursula groaned and rolled onto her back.

Azusa perked up at the movement "Easy Ursula. Sit up slowly"

The meister did so and slid back to lean against the cold wall. Her head was pounding and the insides of her torso felt like they were on fire "A-Azusa? Are you ok?"

"A little worse for wear but otherwise yes. Are you? What did they do to you? Do you know what they want?"

Ursula shook her head "Th-they poured something down my throat. She s-seemed to be after information."

"Who, Cerce?"

Ursula nodded "Yes. They h-hit me a few times as well, trying to g-get me to talk but it wasn't anything I c-couldn't …" she groaned and doubled over in pain.

"Ursula!"

The Professor coughed then tried to sit up "I-its ok… Just whatever they p-put in me hurts... Don't worry!" she tried to put on a smile but it didn't work out well. It was clear to both of them they were in a lot of trouble. Getting out of this wouldn't be easy. Or painless.

"It's hard for me not to, Ursula. We're in deep."

The professor nodded "I-I know. How do we-how do we get out of here? Ideas?"

Azusa sighed and shook her head "No. For now, we just sit and wait." And hope for the best.


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone hope all is well! Sorry for the late update, my real job and my prop building business is like, eating up all of my time (which, don't get me wrong is fantastic!) and it's slowing my writing down a bit. Not to worry, I'm still with it!
> 
> As always, a big thank you to my beta ImaginaryEngineer, without whom I would have thrown my laptop out a window a long time ago.
> 
> Lastly, a big thank you to madiKaldwin and Alscora for taking the time to leave a review! I love getting the feedback, good or bad!

Chapter 20

Akko woke up Christmas morning to see a fresh blanket of snow sparkling on the ground with more continuing to fall. Excited, yell and went to get dressed.

Diana woke up and gave a yawn before stretching and snuggling back down into the warm bed. It was Christmas and her Aunt and cousins had left for Paris the day before, leaving her and Akko alone, as well as removing a huge weight off of her shoulders. Well, at least part of it. Babysitting Akko wasn't exactly a walk in the park either, but it would be so much easier without having to worry about Daryl and Maril causing problems.

*Thunk*

Diana opened her eyes and frowned. What on earth was that? Perhaps a bird flew into the balcony door again. Poor thing, she hoped it was ok. She closed her eyes and pulled the thick down comforter over her head.

*Thunk*

She sat up and looked around. Whatever that was, it most certainly wasn't a bird. It did, however, sound like it was coming from the balcony. She got up and was pulling her black pea coat on over her nightgown when there was another thunk. She turned and for the first time noticed 3 globs of snow smushed on the glass, almost like an impact from a snowball. Then it clicked.

Blast it Akko!

Diana strode over to the door and opened it just in time to have a snowball come whizzing at her. She managed to change her arm just in time to have the frozen missile hit the flat of the blade rather than her face. She lowered her arm and trying to keep her composure and taking a deep breath, she walked to the railing and was greeted with the sight of Akko, standing out in the middle of the frozen, snow-covered lake behind the manor that the moat drained into. It looked like she had been rolling a large ball of snow and stopped to throw snowballs at her window.

"Good morning Diana! Merry Christmas!" Akko yelled

"Akko what are you doing?"

"I'm making a snowman! Come play with me!"

"Akko it's freezing!"

"But Diana!" Akko whined. She wasn't going to relent.

"Fine! Just get off the ice!"

"What ice?"

"The ice under your-"

*Crack*

"Akko!"

(~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~)

"You did this to yourself."

Diana was stretched out on the sofa in the small, private sitting room reserved just for her family, reading quietly. Meanwhile, Akko sat with a blanket as close to the crackling fire as she could get without combusting.

It was hard to understand what she was saying through her chattering teeth, "You d-d-didn't t-tell me there was an l-lake!"

"Why would I? You never asked. You acted on impulse, as per usual, and got yourself into trouble."

"Oh c-come on Diana! S-sometimes it's f-f-fun!"

"And dangerous, as you just learned I should hope."

"You're n-no fun!"

"And you're too much fun." What a pair we make.

The room fell silent as Diana went back to reading and Akko watched the fire dance. Then Akko remembered "Oh! I'll be right back!" she got up and bolted out of the room, leaving a puzzled Diana behind.

A minute later she came back with a small flat box in her hand. She sat down on the couch as Diana closed her book and sat up.

"Here, I picked this up in Glasgow while you were in that bookshop. I know it's not much but Merry Christmas!"

Diana took the box from her friend and carefully removed the lid. Her breath caught in her throat.

There, nestled in a soft velvet lining, was a playing card from the popular card game Meisters & Slicers. Every card featured famous meisters, weapons, keishin eggs, and witches. The goal was to build either a hero deck or villain deck and play against people who's decks were opposite yours. Diana never paid the game any mind but apparently, Akko did, because Diana's mother's face beamed up at her from a card inside the box. Her name printed neatly at the top, stats under the picture and a description in a box under that.

Bernadette Cavendish. Attack 6, Defense 8, Stamina 7, Health 4. Sword type death scythe. 7th death scythe in a long line of powerful demon weapons and well-known for her spirit of kindness and dedication to protecting the innocent. She tragically lost her life in a fight with a powerful witch.

Diana looked up at Akko, lost for words.

Akko offered a kind smile "It's holographic, if you turn it from side to side she changes into her weapon form."

The blonde finally found her voice "Akko… I- thank you."

"You're welcome. Take good care of it, her card is hard to find. I really got lucky when I checked that shop!" she smiled her usual goofy smile and Diana couldn't help but smile back.

"I will I promise. I got something for you too. I'll be right back."

Akko sat waiting while Diana went off to her room, thrilled that Diana had liked her gift. The smile she had worn on her face made Akko absolutely giddy, she just couldn't understand why her stomach got all fluttery.

Diana came back with a cardboard tube about 2 feet long "I apologize for it not being wrapped." She sat down and handed it to Akko.

"It's okay, mine wasn't either." She pulled the plug out of the end and turned the tube so the contents slid out. It was a rolled up poster. She pulled the rubber band off and opened it, then let out a squeal.

"Diana I love it!" it was an autographed poster of Shiny Chariot, her flaming red hair really popping against the deep purple background, posing with her weapon partner, Croix. "How did you find this?"

Diana couldn't help but grin at Akkos excitement " eBay, actually. I had Arya assist me while you were unconscious."

Akko set the poster down and then hugged Diana "Thank you, I love it."

Diana stiffened at the sudden contact but relented after a second and hugged her meister back "You're welcome, Merry Christmas Akko."

Akko let go and beamed back at her "Merry Christmas Diana!"

(~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~)

Later that night, Akko walked Diana back to her room before turning in for the night. The manor was quiet, peaceful. With the sky being the dark purple color of snow clouds, the atmosphere reminded her of the night on the roof in Glasgow.

Except for Akko and Diana chatting away on their way to Diana's bedroom. Mostly it was Akko, babbling away about this or that and Diana would nod or reply with a few words but for the most part, she just let Akko go. Her obvious excitement and innocent curiosity were, in Diana's opinion, adorable. And it was quickly becoming one of her favorite things about the young meister. That and the positivity that practically radiated off of her. No matter how much you knocked her down, Akko would bounce back looking for more. And Diana loved that about her too. She was actually enjoying this and was sad when they reached the plain chestnut door that stood guard over the room beyond. It was actually a little disappointing "Well, this is me. I had a wonderful day, Akko, thank you."

Akko smiled back at Diana "I did too. I, um, I guess I'll see you tomorrow at breakfast?."

Diana nodded and tucked a stray strand of blond hair behind her ear "Yes, absolutely."

"Awesome I can't wait- I mean- like, food!" Akko stuttered through and finished weakly. Diana smiled, however, and Akko relaxed, a little bit of color coming into her cheeks.

Diana had to struggle to stop color from coming into hers. She hid her face by turning to open the door and cross the threshold. By the time she turned around the color was gone. "Have a good night Akko."

Akko smiled. "Night Diana!" She turned and went to head down to her room.

It wasn't until she climbed stairs for the 3rd time that she realized she was really, really lost. She was wandering down the deserted corridor, not even sure if it was the one Diana's room was on, when she noticed a door at the end of the hall standing slightly ajar. Curious, she nudged it open and went into the room beyond.

The soft scarlet carpet gave off clouds of dust as Akko walked across it. Wherever she was, it a bedroom. The bed was a canopied four-poster, with a faded green canopy and drapes. The beautiful mahogany colored support posts started out round and changed to spiral where the head and floorboards ended.

As Akko walked deeper into the room she noticed an old white marble fireplace against one wall and above it, between two wall sconces was an ancient, faded tapestry with runes and a picture of a woman in a pointed hat and robes petting a white unicorn right in the middle.

She was so focused on trying to process what she was seeing she didn't hear the footsteps muffled by the carpet.

"Honored Guest!" Akko jumped and turned to see Anna standing there with a feather duster in her hand and a stern look on her face

"Oh A-Anna! I'm sorry but the door was open and I got curious! What is this place? Why is it so dusty?"

"You should not be in here. I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

"Why? Whose room is this?"

The older woman sighed. Akko clearly wouldn't leave without answers. " This room belonged to Miladys parents."

Belonged. Past tense. So that meant not only her mother but "Her fathers gone too?"

Anna nodded "Yes. He passed away when Milady was 4. Her mother followed shortly after she turned eleven."

That's so sad. Diana's basically on her own now "What happened?"

"Lord Cavendish was killed in a hunting accident when his horse spooked and threw him, breaking his neck. Lady Cavendish…" Anna sighed "Lady Cavendish was killed in a fight with a witch, along with her meister. The details are not known, even to us. We believe they picked up her trail and tracked her down, not waiting for backup. From the destruction in the woods and the underground cavern where their bodies found, the fighting lasted for hours. It was a tragedy. They were both good women who are still sorely missed."

Akko bit her lip and looked up at the tapestry, mulling over everything she had just learned "That is The Tapestry of Beatrix," said Anna "The founding member of House Cavendish. She was one of the Eight Shinigami Legions, the original meisters and demon weapons who fought alongside Lord Death eight hundred years ago."

The young woman's eyes widened in shock. She had no idea Diana' s family was that prestigious. She looked down at her hands, suddenly wondering if she should be the one to wield Diana. Maybe Diana's aunt was right. Akko was nothing compared to her partner.

No.

She could wield Diana. She already had. They had their first soul. They trusted each other. And if she didn't want her, Diana wouldn't have come to that first lesson with Professor Ursula. They were a team. And a damn good one at that! She would make Diana into a death scythe and help her take her rightful place alongside the other powerful weapons and meisters of her family! She could do it, believing was her magic!

"Thank you for telling me that Anna. I won't forget it."

Anna nodded " And please, don't say anything to Milady. She would become quite upset. However, I believe that as her meister, you need to understand her past so you can help her build her future."

Akko bowed politely "I won't tell I promise. Have a good night Anna."

"You as well. Thank you."


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! Works getting hectic so I decided to try and drop an update now rather than on the far side of the weekend. The other good news is you guys are in for a treat! Chapter 21 is just on the cusp of being long enough for me to consider doing a single update, so I decided to treat you guys to a double! *confetti*
> 
> As always, a heartfelt thank you to my beta, ImaginaryEngeneer, without whom I couldn't do this!
> 
> Also, big thanks to Alscora and angelluck for the feedback! Much appreciated!

Chapter 21

The rest of the girl's vacation was less eventful. With Diana's aunt and cousins out of the picture, the girls were free to spend time together without fear of verbal attack from them. Diana's shoulder continued to heal, and much quicker than expected which, she suspected, had something to do with Merrill's magic.

Nonetheless, she relaxed over it and tried to enjoy her time with Akko. She showed her the grounds and some of the secret passages in the manor, and did her best to keep Akko out of trouble. Which was exhausting, even with the staff helping. But despite everything, she was enjoying it. Akko was different from Hanna or Barbara. While they were her friends, and they got along fairly well, they were more like loyal followers sometimes than free thinking beings. They just agreed with her and moved on. And they could be petty as well.

Akko was different. She wasn't afraid to say what was on her mind. And she didn't take no for an answer. She was stubborn, argumentative, and positively fearless in some regards. She was also incredibly loyal, caring, and just a kind person. The more time Diana spent with her, the more she came to enjoy her company.

And that was why it was so weird for her when they finally got back to school just after New Years. She went from having Akko being there constantly to only seeing her at class, lunch, and training. It was still a lot, yes, but it wasn't quite the same. And she knew this was normal, but it was like there was a void now. A void Diana Cavendish just couldn't quite fill.

January 3rd found both girls seated and waiting for their Battle Arts class to start. The day before, Spirit, Lord Deaths current Death Scythe, filled in for Professor Ursula. Apparently, she was pulled for a mission and the long-term sub would be coming the next day.

They all sat, somewhat impatient, as the second bell rang and still no teacher. Diana cracked her book back open and began to read. She didn't need to turn around to know that Akko was sleeping. She could hear the soft snores. She would never, ever admit it, but she found them cute.

Seven minutes after the door opened and a familiar Scottish accent sounded off "Sorry kids! I'm afraid I got a wee bit lost! I think the schools gotten a bit bigger since I graduated!"

Diana perked up a bit and closed her book with a dull thump, breaking into a smile when she saw none other than Trixie taking her place at the podium. The redhead shuffled through some papers then looked up to address the class "Alright! So as I'm sure ye all know, Professor Ursula was pulled for an assignment. Nothing major mind you, but it will require time. So I'm afraid yer stuck with me for a spell. My name is Trixie O'Connell. I'm a 2-star bow type weapon stationed in Glasgow with my meister. Ye can call me Ms. O'Connell, Trixie, Professor, it doesn't matter to me that much. Just don't call me Beatrix or so help me I will fail you. Any questions?"

The room was quiet, the students not quite sure what to make of the fiery weapon "No? Good, let's get started. So, roll call. If ye got a preferred name to be called by please let me know. I'll make a note and try to remember it. Ok, let's see… Francis Appleton?"

"Here. You can call me Frankie."

She made a note "Will do Frankie. Diana Cavendish?"

"Present."

"Hanna England?"

"Here!"

Trixie went through a few more names before hitting another familiar one "Atsuko Kagari?"

The room was quiet. Looking around, Trixie found the young student asleep at her desk between a small blonde who was desperately trying to wake her up and another student with pale skin and long lilac hair.

Trixie looked around for a second then picked up an eraser from the chalkboard. After seeing Trixie's intent, the blonde girl moved away from Akko just as Trixie pegged her with the eraser. The brunette jerked awake with a yelp and fell over backward with a crash.

"Atsuko Kagari?"

"H-here…"

(~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~)

"... Alright everyone that's it. Any students who took private lessons with Professor Ursula please stay behind. Class dismissed!"

The class started to break up. Before she knew what was happening, she got tackle hugged by Akko. Staggering and trying not to fall she hugged the girl back as best she could with a laugh "Hello Akko."

"Trixie I missed you so much! Is Arya here too?"

The redhead nodded "Aye. Right now she's at the apartment we rented here in Death City doing...something. Honestly, I don't even know. Diana, how are you?" The blonde had come up behind Akko.

"Quite well thank you. Yourself?"

"I'm well. How's the shoulder?"

"Healing well. I almost have full range of motion again."

Trixie smiled "Good. Yer going to need it. Arya and I will be training you until Ursula comes back, and we won't go easy on either of ye. We know exactly what yer capable of and won't accept anything less. We clear?"

Both girls nodded "Good. And Akko if I catch ye sleeping in me class again you're going to detention and I'll teach ye there. Understand?"

Akko snapped to "Yes Ma'am!"

"Ok. Arya and I don't have a lot of time, so I'd like to start today after school. We will meet ye on the old soccer field, alright?"

They nodded " Alright, we will see you then. Get ready for a work out."

The girls said their goodbyes and headed out to the hallway. They walked together in silence before coming to an impasse. Diana went to turn left towards the library when Akko spoke up "Wait Diana?"

The weapon stopped and turned, her books pressed to her chest "Yes Akko?"

"Do you want to come get lunch with me?"

That caught Diana a little off guard."What about Lotte and Sucy?"

"Well, Lotte is studying for a class and Sucy has a special seminar she's going to on the history and uses of poisonous nightcaps."

That's...alarming. "Well, I told Hanna I would proof-read an essay for her, but I suppose I could put it off for another period" she smiled as Akkos face lit up with joy. She would never admit it, but Diana was very grateful for the shorter girls' company. And she didn't have to ask to know Akko was happy for hers as well. Or at least that was her hope.

As they headed down the hall, she felt something brush against her hand. Looking down, she realized it was Akkos hand. Diana flushed and moved a step over from the seemingly oblivious girl.

Meanwhile, Akko was crying on the inside

Damn it! Lotte made it sound so easy! Just reach out and brush against it! She said Diana would hold my hand for sure! Well, she didn't say Diana specifically because I didn't say I was trying it with Diana but still!

They continued to walk in silence. Finally, Akko decided to break it "Diana?"

The blonde answered but wouldn't look at her "Yes Akko?"

Say something...anything. Come on Akko! "What does it mean when they call a meister one or two star?"

Seriously? That's what I came up with? Ugh, I know that already! She must think I'm stupid.

Diana, however, didn't even flinch "Essentially, everyone in the E.A.T class has a rank. We begin at the zero star level and climb from there. Two stars are as high as we can go as students. From there we can reach three stars, however it's very difficult to do. Mostly the three-star ranks consist of professors and very high-level field teams. The highest a meister can go is three stars, however, a weapon can surpass it and become a Death Scythe."

"Oh. Ok. I'm sorry it always sounded so much more complicated. Heh, I guess I just need to focus more huh?" Akko rubbed the back of her head.

Diana stopped walking and turned to look at Akko '" You do fine Akko. You need to have more faith in yourself." Then she smiled at her softly "Come let's go get something to eat. I know you're hungry, I've been listening to your stomach growl for the past five minutes."

Akko took on a sheepish look "Yeah I am kinda hungry. I could kill for some decent Miso Soup right now."

"Death City doesn't have a good Asian restaurant?"

Akko shrugged "It does, they just aren't as good as my mom!"

Diana couldn't help but smile a little "If you'd like, I would be happy to aid you in your quest."

"Really?"

The blonde nodded "I'm afraid I don't have much experience with Asian cuisine. I'd be happy for the chance to try it."

"Awesome! This is going to be so much fun! Come on, let's go!" Without a thought, Akko grabbed Diana's hand and took off running, half dragging the poor heiress behind her.


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

3 PM came, and Akko and Diana arrived at the old soccer field out behind the school. The field was ringed with trees and had a set of bleachers set on the sideline right at midfield, but even so, it looked old and neglected. There were several bare spots in the grass, giving the whole thing a threadbare, patchwork look. The rusted goal posts lacked nets, and there were dandelions and crabgrass sprouting up along the length of the worn field, adding a spotted look to the faded white lines ringing the field.

Akko kicked up dust as she walked over to the bleachers where her two mentors sat talking. She was happy to see them, but she was also nervous. The power she had felt with Diana that first time was incredible sure, but she had to learn how to control it. She'd see what happens when it goes wrong. People got hurt, things got broken and well, she was Akko. Getting hurt and breaking things were her bread and butter.

Mmm...food. I'm hungry. I hope Lotte is cooking tonight.

Trixie and Arya got up and walked over to them " Ladies!" Arya suddenly braced herself, catching Akko as she ran at her and half tackled, half hugged her "Hey trouble!" She ruffled Akkos hair with a laugh before letting go and giving Diana a quick hug as well "You two look good! How have you been?"

Diana smiled politely "We've been well, thank you. And yourself?"

"Good! Enjoying the slower paced schedule. Have you both healed up well?"

The young weapon nodded "Akkos bruises are about gone, and I almost have full range of motion back in my arm."

Arya nodded approvingly "Good, you'll need it. Ready Trix?"

"Aye!"

They all walked out to center field. The light from the sinking sun was just beginning to give everything a golden glow. Akko looked over and couldn't help but admire how the light from the setting sun behind her lit up Diana, catching off her hair and giving it the appearance of being on fire. It was breathtaking

"Akko?"

Arya's voice cut into her thoughts and she looked back over. "What?"

"I asked if you were paying attention. This is important."

"Of course I am!"

Despite her reassurance, Arya had her doubts. "Ok. Well as I was saying, don't expect to have results right away. And don't try to take this into combat until you're absolutely ready. Now, Diana go ahead and change."

Diana did so with a flash of light and landed in Akkos hand "Good. Now Akko, I want you to pick a stance you feel comfortable in."

After thinking for a minute, Akko held Diana in front of her and put her other hand on the hilt as well. Then she shifted so her feet were shoulder width apart and looked up at Arya. "Got it!"

The mentor nodded again. ''Very good! Now, this is going to be the hard part. The technical part behind this is Akko sending her soul wavelength to you Diana, then you will enhance and send it back. This will continue back and forth, generating power. The faster you go the more power you generate." She said more for Akko's benefit than Diana's " Do not rush this. Go slow and easy until you get the hang of it. Going too fast will cause you to lose control which can, in certain instances, cause injury to yourself and others.

Now, what I want you both to do is take a deep breath and relax. That's a huge part of it. Now when you're ready Akko, try to feel your connection to Diana and then send your wavelength to her. Diana, when you feel it, try to enhance it and send it back to Akko. Whenever you're both ready." Arya looked at her partner, and they both backed up several steps, giving the young women room. And getting them out of the line of fire.

Akko closed her eyes and tried to relax. In the black, she became aware of Diana's soul right in front of her. It was odd, but she could almost physically see it. It was tea green like her highlights, and had a spike on top of it, like a unicorn horn. Trying to focus again, she tried to send her wavelength to Diana. Suddenly it felt like there was a wall and the wavelength shot back to her. A bolt of electricity went through her, and she yelped as she and Diana broke apart, both falling to the ground and Diana changing human on impact.

Akko lay on the ground for a minute, looking up at the eternal blue sky in a daze, trying to make sense of what happened. Suddenly Arya appeared in her line of sight "You alright?"

The young meister sat up and rubbed her head "Yeah. What happened?"

Arya held out her hand and helped her up "I'm not sure. It looked to me like someone rejected the others' wavelength." she looked over and Akko followed her gaze.

Trixie was knelt several feet away talking softly to Diana, who was on the ground but sitting up. Akko watched as Trixie stood and helped Diana up before walking over to the meisters "She's ok. Can ye continue Akko?"

Akko nodded confidently "Yes!"

"Good. Try again then!"

Diana changed and they gave it another shot, however, the results seemed to be the same. They would start to get somewhere, then hit a wall and break apart. Or the connection would get choppy and weak and then they would break apart. Akko couldn't understand what she was doing wrong.

After hitting the ground for the umpteenth time. Akko let out a groan of frustration and then flopped back into the dirt, sore dirty and tired.

"Ok guys, I want to try something different. Both of you come here a second please."

Akko got up and trudged over to the older team and watched Diana do the same. She was also dirty and a mess. She had taken off part of her usual uniform, ditching the navy blue vest and tie and leaving her in her white, french cuffed button-down blouse, dark jeans, and riding boots. She had put her hair back in a ponytail but even with it up it was frizzy and had flyaways. Despite the calm look on her face, Akko knew her partner well enough by now to know Diana was frustrated.

Arya took a deep breath "So, in order to try and get to the bottom of what's going on with you guys, we're going to swap partners. Akko, you're going to try to resonate with Trixie and Diana, I'd like you to try it with me. Hopefully, we'll be able to find the roadblock and get you guys on your way, sound like a plan?"

Akko nodded "But wait, I thought I was the only one who could pair with Diana because she sucks out energy?"

Arya nodded "Correct. However, I believe the actual reason behind this is because of the sheer amount of strength required to wield her. It feels like it's being drained because the energy leaves faster than it can be replaced. Most students don't have enough power to sustain her. It takes time to develop that kind of power, however as a professional meister I believe I have the strength."

The young woman changed and landed in Arya's hand. Arya hefted her and have a few test swings while Trixie nodded to Akko before changing. There was a flash of soft yellow light and then there was a large longbow in Akkos hands. The weapon was taller than Akko and seemed to be made out of some kind of pale wood, with a dark, worn leather grip and Celtic knots carved into the upper and lower limbs.

"Ready when ye are Akko."

Akko hesitated though "Um, Trixie I- I'm hard to link with. People don't like working with me because I'm high energy and I guess that makes my soul pushy and unpredictable."

"Don't be afraid. If yer afraid then ye'll get tense and it'll never work. Relaxing and trusting are two big keys to this. Just relax and be flexible. You can do this ." Trixie's words seemed to calm Akkos fears. She closed her eyes and tried to resonate with the redhead. She reached out, ready to get thrown or shocked, but rather than go flying, she felt herself touch Trixie. There was a soft tingle, and then she felt energy begin to flow back from her weapon. Concentrating she managed to take and flip it around and send it back. They continued to do this fairly slowly, but even so, Akko felt a rush of power building. She was doing it! She could resonate!

The connection was just starting to get choppy when there was a pop and a yelp. She opened her eyes in time to see Arya land in the dust back first and Diana fall to the ground. Trixie changed and ran over to her partner. Diana, meanwhile, stood up, panting slightly and struggling to remain calm and in control.

Trixie helped Arya up, who brushed off herself off and then looked over to Diana "It's alright I'm fine. Take a deep breath."

While Diana took a minute, Trixie and Akko turned to Arya "What happened?"

Arya shrugged "There's hesitation on her part, that's all." Hesitation was an understatement. The girl was afraid, almost terrified. And that was causing her to reject the connection "I think I'd like to spend a little extra time with you on the side Diana, if you have the time that is."

Diana nodded, her face grim "Alright."

"Good. Well, today was tough, so I'm going to let you guys head out a little early. We will continue to follow the schedule Professor Ursula had you guys on for lessons, but Diana I would like to meet with you on Tuesdays for about an hour, sound good?"

The young Cavendish nodded but didn't say anything. Arya dismissed them and Diana left in a hurry, leaving her vest and tie behind. As well as a very confused Akko. The young meister thanked her mentors for their time and grabbed Diana's stuff before departing, leaving the two alone in the run-down field.

Trixie turned to Arya "What's really going on with her? That's more than a wee bit of hesitation. I've never seen ye thrown to the ground like that before."

Her meister sighed "She's afraid. I didn't want to say so in front of Akko and embarrass her, but you can feel the panic in her. I'm hoping that I can work with her and help her resolve the fear but if she can't get over this she'll never make it as a weapon. She simply won't have the power without resonating, Cavendish or no."


	23. Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, welcome back! Not too much to say outside of I think you guys are really, really going to enjoy this chapter, and as always a big thank you to my awesome beta ImaginaryEngineer.
> 
> Also, I'm considering dropping another major fic that IE and I think will be fantastic, I just don't have the time to write solo. So, if you're interested in working with IE and I, shoot me a PM and lemme know!
> 
> And now a thank you to Shellbyfish, Alscora, madiKaldwin, angelluck and Reynabot for taking a minute to leave some feedback! It helps a ton!

Chapter 23

Later that night Akko went to Diana's apartment to bring her her vest and tie. She wasn't looking forward to running into the loyal minions, but she was worried about Diana. Something was bothering her, she could feel it through the connection they formed during training.

The moon was just rising as she made it to Diana's apartment on the upper side of town.

23….24….25. This is it. Akko walked up the steps and hit the doorbell. After a minute or two she heard movement and the door opened to reveal Hanna. She was in a skirt and blouse but was wearing an apron that had Kiss the Meister written across it "Oh. Akko. Hello."

It was awkward. Definitely awkward "Uh, hello Hanna. I was just looking for Diana."

Hanna bit her lip "She hasn't come home yet. Barbara and I were actually starting to get worried. We tried to call her, like, a hundred times but her phone goes right to voicemail. Sometimes she does that when she's studying, but she tells us beforehand. We also checked the school library, the bookshop, and the little cafe on the corner that she likes. We even tried the training gym at school. It's like she fell off the face of the earth!"

Akko nodded along, a frown on her face "Alright. You guys stay here and I'll go look for her." She swapped numbers with Hanna in case Diana came back and the left to go find her partner.

If I were Diana and I wanted to be alone where would I hide? The school library is too public. The gym is too. She probably wouldn't go to the soccer field considering what happened on it...

What did she do when she wasn't studying or training? Ha, that was funny. That was all Diana did. Train and study, train and study, train and…

"That's it!" Akko took off running.

(~*~*~*~*~*~)

The old library buried deep in the center of the city was a magnificent building, built out of sandstone and black marble. The roof was peaked and covered in red shingles, while the walls were supported with flying buttresses. The whole thing reminded Akko more of a cathedral than a library. Akko walked up to the old wooden doors and slipped inside quietly.

The building was massive. At least three stories tall, every viable inch of wall was filled with old bookshelves, their stain faded and their shelves warped from carrying their loads for so long. There were chandeliers dangling dozens of feet from the ceiling, all of which seemed to have lit candles in them. The floor was white marble, while the walls and arches were all black marble flecked with veins of deep purple. The whole building gave off an old, stoic feel, but wasn't exactly unwelcoming.

The sound of a paper rustling caught Akkos attention. It seemed to be coming from the right, near a large room that seemed to open into the cavernous library.

Despite the hard stone floor, Akko could barely hear her own footsteps as she followed the noise to its source. Rounding a bookshelf, Akko was greeted with the sight of Diana seated at a table in a smaller open-faced side room, her head bowed over an ancient tome wrapped in faded leather. Surrounding her were several other books of varying age and size, as well as a notebook she would occasionally make a few quick marks in.

Coming up next to her, as she took off her jacket, Akko looked down and caught a few lines out of Diana's book

The cave is located deep in the mountains in the northernmost reaches of the United Kingdom and is said to be tucked away behind a mighty waterfall guarded by a great spirit. Populated by fairies who sing his praise, the cave is forever in the throes of spring. The legendary sword is renown not only for his power but for his ability to pair with anyone who is worthy to wield it, and while it is not, at the time of this publication, knows how he is able to achieve such a feat, it is believed none the less.

Turning her focus back to Diana, Akko draped her jacket over Diana's shoulders, making her jump. "I'm sorry I didn't mean to scare you. It's chilly in here and I thought you might be cold."

Diana pulled the jacket a little tighter around herself, grateful for the warmth despite herself "Thank you. How did you find me?"

"Well, All you ever do is study and train. I figured that after what happened you would be studying. And I remember you said you like it here because it's quiet and people don't bother you."

Diana nodded but didn't say anything. Akko took a seat next to her and placed Diana's tie and vest on the table next to a book "Here, you left these behind. I thought you might want them back."

"You came all this way just to bring me my clothing?"

"Well...no. I was worried about you. I went to your apartment but Hanna said you weren't there. She's worried about you too. Her and Barbara. Diana, can I ask you something?"

The young woman nodded her consent. Akko took a deep breath "What's wrong? I've never seen you act like this. I know training was hard today but we'll get through it! We always do!"

Diana sighed and looked down at her book again "Akko, do you know why Andrew left the DWMA?"

"Well yeah, his father called him home right?"

"Yes, but do you know why he was called home?"

"N-no. I don't."

Diana was silent for a second "It was because of me."

Akko got a puzzled look on her face "What? How?"

"Andrew had learned to control me, despite my difficulty linking with others. We had become quite good and, we felt, were ready for the next step. We decided to attempt to resonate souls on our own. We had done all the research and felt we could handle it. The first few attempts failed, namely because he had to very carefully control how much energy he fed to me and could only increase the amounts in small increments. Finally, he figured out how much to give off so we could resonate.

It started out alright, but when we tried to increase our speed, he lost control of the feed. I continued to pull in energy but he was unable to control how much I received. I continued to bring it in, but was unable to send it back. He would have died if we hadn't been able to cut the connection. After staying in the infirmary for several days his father decided to pull him from the DWMA, blaming me for the whole incident and threatening legal action if I ever went near Andrew again."

Akko watched Diana carefully as she finished her tale. She still wouldn't look at her, and Akko could have sworn she heard her voice crack just a bit at the end. Still, everything seemed to click into place. "You're afraid that if you resonate with me, I'll get hurt like Andrew."

Silence.

Reaching out, Akko took Diana's cool, pale hand in her warmer one and held on " Look at me."

Hearing the change in Akkos tone, Diana looked up. She had never seen or heard Akko be completely serious before. Yes here and there she had melancholy moments were all humor vanished, but instead of sadness, all Diana could see was steely determination and strength in her maroon eyes "Diana you won't hurt me."

"Akko you don't know-"

"Yes, I do. We did it before remember? The first day we joined and tried to link souls, we did it. Yeah, it was an accident but now we know I have enough energy to sustain you and myself. I trust you, and I know you won't hurt me."

"But the risk-"

"Is worth it. You're a Cavendish! Your dream is to be a Death Scythe and I'm going to help you achieve your dream! I'm going to turn you into the most powerful Death Scythe ever and save the world in the process! That way both of our dreams will come true!"

Diana blinked, trying desperately to hold back tears "Akko…"

Akko smiled her goofy, lopsided smile "We can do it! Believing is our magic!"

The blonde sat there for a moment, absorbing everything Akko had just said. She had just told her one of darkest secrets, something that she had never told anyone. And again the girl didn't care. She didn't balk or panic or try and break off the partnership. Instead, she just wanted to help Diana so she could continue to fulfilling her dream, so they could both fulfill their dreams, together. It seemed like there was nothing she could do that would drive her friend off.

It was difficult for her to admit, but at times she felt alone. Surrounded by people on all sides, all expecting things from her, all elevating her and putting her up on a pedestal. But up there on high, it was lonely. Even with Hanna and Barbara, she always felt alone.

And along came this girl who, until just a few months ago, she barely knew existed. This girl who was a total clutz, and a horrible student and whose path, were it not for Professor Ursula, never would have crossed her own. This girl who despite all that was always happy, determined and honestly, a pleasure to be around.

This girl who turned her whole world upside down and for the first time in over five years, made her feel like she wasn't alone. Back when she and Akko had first touched souls, Diana hardly knew who Akko was. They passed in the hallway without a word, they ate in the same room just tables away, they attended the same classes together. Back then Akko could have passed out of Diana's life without a word and she would never have known.

And then they became partners and Akko began to grow on Diana. By the end of the Glasgow trip, Diana didn't like the idea of anyone else handling her as a weapon. Her and Akko had a solid thing going. They were beginning to learn how to work without actually communicating. The hours and hours of training were beginning to really show.

Then Christmas happened, and Diana had started to really regard Akko as a good friend. They had a strong bond and they supported each other. Even with all her issues, Akko never balked or tried to drop Diana for another partner. She was nothing but encouraging. Diana couldn't imagine her life without Akko at this point. The annoying, spazzy brunette who had somehow managed to nudge her way in and shake up Diana's life for all it was worth was someone Diana now couldn't imagine her life without.

Life was weird.

Diana sighed and leaned back in her chair, contemplating change while Akko picked up her notebook and read Diana's notes "What are you working?"

The blonde just sighed "Akko give me my notebook."

"Whats the Legendary Sword?"

"Akko."

" Is this a weapon? Wait...Wait I know this guy! He has a Meisters and Slicers card! Attack 6 Defence 4 Stamina 4-"

"How do you remember all of this but forget you're homework daily?"

"- His special ability is called Holy Light! It banishes all monster cards from the field! He's super strong and super rare! Why are you reading about him?"

"Because he has the ability to pair with anyone, no matter what their soul is like. I was hoping to learn how he does it."

"Why? You have me and we work just fine!"

"Well, yes. But we might not be together forever you might get hurt and I'll have to change partners or we might run a mission and someone else may have to use me. Like Arya and Trixie said, it makes us more versatile."

"Oh. Well...Diana he's supposed to be immortal, right?"

"All the literature on him indicates that why?"

"Well, let's go find him and ask!"

Diana was speechless. Mostly because of what Akko had just said, but also partially because the blonde couldn't believe she herself hadn't thought of it.

Meanwhile, the gears in Akkos head were still spinning "Yeah, let's go this weekend!

"Akko we are not skipping valuable study time to chase after a legend."

"Alright well, then spring break!"

"Akko no."

"But Diana! Come on it'll be fun! A bit of hiking and then you're fixing your problem and you can resonate with whoever you want! Please?" Akko put on a pouty face. She wouldn't give up, and she did have a point. If he was real, maybe he could help her.

Diana leaned forward "How about spring break? We'll have a whole week off, we can fly out to Glasgow. Stop at the manor to get supplies, then go and see if we can find him."

Akkos face lit up "It's going to be so much fun I can' t wait!"

Diana went to say something but was cut off by a ringing. Looking down, she identified the source and pulled Akkos phone out from her jacket pocket. She passed it over to Akko, who answered it "Hello?"

Even from a few feet away, Diana could hear the panicked, whiney tones of Barbara's voice.

"No no it's ok I found her! She's safe"

Barbara must have calmed down because Diana couldn't hear her as clearly as before.

"Yes, I'll make sure she makes it home. Yes, she's fine. I don't know, she probably is. I'd save her a plate. Ok, ok. Yes. Alright. Goodbye" she hung up and set her phone on the table with a sigh "That was Barbara. She says she's happy you're alright."

Diana nodded and stood to begin gathering her things from the worn oak table "They're probably having panic attacks, I should get home"

Akko stood and helped Diana gather her things "I'll go with you. I have to go in that direction anyway."

Diana just looked at Akko "The dorms are in the opposite direction."

Akko just shrugged "Well, I mean I'd get there eventually." reaching over, she picked up two of Diana's books "There. I'm helping, now let's go!"

Too tired to argue, Diana just nodded.

The walk home seemed to go quickly. The streets were empty and the crescent moon was high in the sky. Without the clouds, the stars were seen to be shining brightly, despite the light pollution from the city. That was the best part about the DWMA being in the desert, the stars were always there. Shining brightly and watching over all.

The pair eventually stopped at the gate in front of Diana's apartment. Akko smiled "Have a good night Diana. Try and get some sleep ok?"

Her partner nodded "Akko- thank you. For everything."

"Hey, it's no problem! That's what friends are for right?"

A soft smile lit on Diana's face, making Akkos face light up as well "Yes, I suppose it is. Good night Akko."

"Night Diana!"

(~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~)

Diana told Hanna and Barbara she was home, apologizing for the alarm she had caused and letting them know she would be showering and then heading right to bed.

It wasn't until she was in the bathroom, starting to undress, that she realized she still had Akkos jacket. A flush came across her face when she realizes Hanna and Barbara had seen her with it. Oddly enough though, that was the only reason she was embarrassed. Not because she had it, but because she had been seen with it.

She took it off and looked it over, noting it was a royal blue and white varsity style jacket with letters on it, marking Akko as an accomplished athlete of some sort. Her last name was printed on the back in white as well. She hoped Akko wasn't cold without it. She would make sure she washed it before giving it back.

Oddly enough, she was excited at the idea of having another reason to talk to Akko about something not related to the DWMA or souls or witches. She undid the buttons on her blouse absentmindedly, her thoughts still on Akko hoping she got home alright. Maybe she should have walked her to her dorm rather than allowing Akko to walk her home. Honestly, that girl could be such a disaster sometimes.

But she also focused and had a level head when it counted. And that was huge for a meister. Diana firmly believed in Akko. Now she just had to step up and be the weapon Akko needed.


	24. Chapter 24

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! I'm sorry it's been so long since the last update, I've been working on Dianakko week and its been holding the vast majority of my attention. I'd also like to apologize for chapter length here, I know this guy is rather short, but hopefully, 25 will make up for it! I would also like to mention here that I will not be updating again until after Dianakko Week. I need time to focus on completing the shorts, and the added stress from worrying about updating this is a bit much for me. I'll probably take a few days after the weeks is out to take a break before I dive back into this, just so I don't burn out again, but it won't be long, and I promise I'm not abandoning this story. Thank you all for your patience, I hope you enjoy!
> 
> As always, a heartfelt thank you to my beta, ImaginaryEngineer, for taking the time to beta for me. I couldn't do this without you bro!
> 
> Also, a big thank you to Shelbyfish, Reynabot, Danikairyu, angelluck, madiKaldwin, and Alscora for taking the time to leave me a review! You guys rock!

Chapter 24

Ursula coughed.

She was cold, hungry, dizzy, and in a good deal of pain. Azusa and she had been locked up and periodically dragged out, questioned and tormented for information, then tossed back in their cell. Neither one of them knew how much more they could take, or how much time they had left.

They had worked the idea of escape up down and sideways, and they almost had a full plan. They just had to wait three days. Just survive three days. The time it would take to grade a class's worth of papers. She turned her head weakly to look at Azusa. She wasn't fairing much better. At this point, she was hardly supporting her weight and was more just dangling from the chains than anything. She was a Death Scythe, and she was supposed to be strong, but this was too much for anyone. Even her.

The sound of boot steps pulled her from her thoughts, and she struggled to her feet. The cell door opened and in stepped two guards followed by Cerce. "Good morning ladies. How are we feeling today."

Ursula narrowed her eyes "Quite well, thank you."

"Ha, well that just won't do. Come, my boss would like to meet you."

"I think I'll pass."

Cerce raised an eyebrow "You thought that was an invitation? Boys, bring our guest to the throne room."

The guards grabbed her and dragged her out. Ursula struggled a bit but didn't try too hard. She needed her strength for what was ahead, and what would come after.

The hallways were dark and damp. And with no one paying any mind to Ursula's half-hearted attempts at breaking free, even when she tried to kick out at the walls, they definitely didn't notice the small scrape marks she was leaving, using a rock she managed to embed in her shoe. She had been doing this over the last week, then using the marks and a rock to draw out a crude map of the place in her cell, hiding it with some old straw she found in a corner.

They rounded a corner and Ursula stopped fighting. She was suddenly in a cavernous room lined with pillars. This was a throne room.

She was dragged up to the foot of a dias and then dropped. Darkness fell over the top of the rise, but she knew there was an occupied throne sitting on top.

The room was quiet for a minute then a soft voice spoke, dragging the S's out just a bit too long "Ursula. I see you are doing well."

The meister glared "Cerce has taken good care of me."

"I can see that. I hear you haven't been repaying the favor. All you have to do is answer a few questions about the DWMA, that's all."

Ursula chuckled "And help a witch? I don't think so."

"Oh come now. Why don't you help us? I can give you everything you ever wanted. Fame, fortune, power beyond anything you've ever felt."

She didn't even have to think about it "The answer is no."

There was a sigh "It would be such a shame to waste your talent. However, I suppose it would increase the power of the sacrifice, am I right Cerce?"

The younger woman nodded "By ten-fold Ma'am."

Ursula got to her feet "What sacrifice?"

The woman stood and then descended from the dias toward Ursula, the shadows moving with her, concealing her identity "Oh Cerce, you didn't tell our guest our plans?"

"No Ma'am, I thought you would like the honor."

There was a chuckle "Always so considerate, aren't you? The plan is simple. We're going to resurrect a Titan, then use it to destroy the DWMA and avenge our fallen sisters."

Ursula's eyes widened "No... That's impossible!"

"Dear Cerce said the same thing, however, it is possible. It requires quite a bit of blood, as you can imagine, and at least two live human sacrifices. The ritual is long and draining and must be performed on the day that Lord Death killed said, Titan. I'm sure you can imagine how much work I had to put into finding that out. But eventually, I did figure it out."

"We will stop you!" Ursula went to take a step forward but found she couldn't move, or even make a sound for that matter.

Cerce suddenly appeared in her line of sight, her hands up, holding the spell that froze Ursula in place "Now now, play nice Ursula."

The woman in the shadows spoke up "Cerce, she's yours. See what information you can get out of her, but this time feel free to use any method you want, no matter how painful, that won't kill her. We wouldn't want her to miss the fun now would we?"

The men grabbed her again and Ursula struggled "You're a coward. Lurking in the shadows and plotting sneak attacks, you won't win this! You're too afraid to even show your face!"

"Oh, too afraid am I? Drop her." The men dropped Ursula, who fell to her knees. The woman moved forward and then said a word before stepping out of the shadows. Ursula's eyes widened, and she couldn't help but gasp "You!"

The woman chuckled "Yes, me. Take her away."


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

Friday afternoon found Akko sleeping in her last class. Even when the bell rang she was still out like a light.

Right up until a certain orange haired mister dropped a heavy textbook on her desk with a loud thump, jerking Akko from her sleep with a startled yelp.

She looked around for the source of the noise and was somehow not surprised to see Amanda O'Neil standing next to her laughing hysterically.

Akko stood up "Amanda that wasn't nice!"

Her fellow meister chuckled and ran a hand through her vibrantly colored hair "So? It was funny! Anyways look, me Jas and Constanze are going out tonight want to come? We're going to see Last Wednesday Society play at Death Cafe."

Akko perked up "I thought they broke up!"

"They did but they're back together. You in? Lotte and Sucy can totally come along too if they want."

Akko mulled it over for a minute. She hasn't spent too much time with Amanda. She knew she had a very brash and abrasive exterior, however, she also knew Amanda had a softer underside that made made her exterior easier to deal with "Yeah, I think it would be fun! What time?"

Amanda grinned " 8:30, but we want to get there an hour early so we can get good seats."

Akko nodded "Yeah sounds good! I'll see you- oooooh…" her face fell

"Akko?" Amanda tapped her forehead "Anyone home? What's the issue?"

She looked up, her face unsure "I have to train with Diana tonight."

"So? Skip it."

"I can't, Diana'll kill me!" She gathered her books and followed Amanda out into the hallway

Amanda laughed as they walked "Man she's got you whipped!"

Akkos face took on a look of horror "What? No she doesn't!"

"Shhh, Akko do you hear that?" Amanda mimed cracking a whip and made the accompanying noise.

"Stop it!"

Amanda did it again.

"All right all right!," Akko finally exclaimed. "I'll try to get out of it!"

"Are you sure your mistress will allow it?"

"AMANDA!" Akko was beet red at this point.

"What about a mistress? Akko I knew you were kinky but that's a bit much." Sucy's monotone voice droned from behind.

Akko whipped around, her face getting even redder as she faced Sucy and Lotte "Stop it! I am not kinky!" She yelled. Unfortunately, they were now in the main lobby of the school. Surrounded by people trying to get out and enjoy their weekend. Almost all of whom stopped and started over at poor Akko, who at this point just wanted to melt into floor and vanish from sight.

Amanda was doubled over laughing as the crowds started to move again. Lotte put a hand on poor Akkos shoulder and said something comforting while Sucy snickered.

Akko took a deep breath and went to say something, the color in her face returning to normal but was cut off from behind by a firm voice "Are you alright Akko?"

Amanda caught the look on Akkos face as she turned to face none other than Diana, flanked by Hanna and Barbara, and started to laugh all over again while Akko stuttered out some lame excuse.

"I see. Well if that's all I'll be on my way. I'll see you tonight for training?"

Akko rubbed the back of her head, not making eye contact with the blond "Uh, yeah Diana about that... I uh, Last Wednesday Society got back together, and they have a concert tonight. And we've been working so I hard I kind of...well…"

"You want to go see their concert rather than study. You are aware there's a test Monday on two-handed weapon tactics, correct?" There was a disapproving tone to Diana's voice.

Akko coward a bit "Y-yes."

"And you are aware that we have a practical exam on Friday?"

"Yes."

"And you're also aware-"

"Oh come on Cavendish lighten up a bit, you're not her mother!" Amanda's voice was halfway between amused and exasperated.

Diana rounded on Amanda "If my meister fails for the year we both need new partners, which is more of a hassle than I'd like to deal with."

Amanda rolled her eyes and made a face " Poor princess has to deal with an inconvenience."

"Akko has work to do."

"All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy."

"All play and no work makes Jack a mere toy." Diana put a hand on her hip, a smirk breaking out on her face as anger erupted across Amanda's face when the insult hit home.

The thinner girl strode up to Diana, stopping when she was almost toe to toe with her "What are you saying, Cavendish?"

Diana, rather than backing off actually moved closer. She got exactly toe to toe with the meister, fire reflecting in her eyes "You heard exactly what I said, O'Neill."

You could cut the tension with a knife.

The two stood glaring for a minute while a ring of curious students began to form. There were mutterings as the kids seemed to discuss what was happening, a few placing bets. Hanna and Barbara clung on to each other, fearful of what would happen to Diana.

Before anything could happen Akko got her wits about her. She jumped up and shoved between the two girls, breaking things up "Guys stop it! Diana if it's that big a deal I'll skip the concert both of you just knock it off!"

Hearing Akkos outburst, Diana seemed to get a grip on herself. Looking around and for the first time really taking stock of the students gathered around, Diana backed off. She stepped back and turned away, flipping her hair over her shoulder as she did so. "Akko, go and enjoy your concert. I will see you in class on Monday. Just make sure you review your notes."

"Y-yeah I will." Akko watched Diana strut away, Hannah and Barbara in tow, and sighed. The disappointed crowd began to disperse, leaving the four alone in the lobby. Looking around with a pained expression on her face, Akko hesitated before taking off after Diana.

Amanda rolled her eyes with a sarcastic laugh "Yeah, she is definitely whipped."

(~*~*~*~*~*~)

"Diana wait! Hey! Stop walking!"

The blond kept walking right up until Akko managed to catch up to her and grab her arm, stopping her. She turned on her heel "Akko!"

"Well, you wouldn't stop walking!"

Hannah exchanged a glance with Barbara and held up a finger. Point Akko.

Diana didn't try to hide the annoyed expression on her face "Because I have somewhere to be. What do you want?"

"Why are you so mad? Its one study session it's not a big deal!"

"Akko that's not it. I'm not angry."

Akko rolled her eyes "Don't you even! I know you well enough by now to know your lying!"

Hannah looked over and held up two fingers. Two points Akko.

Diana mentally cursed. The connection the two shared went both ways. She may have known Akko inside and out, but that meant that Akko knew her just as intimately "I simply had a bad day alright! If you don't mind I'd like to head home! I'll see you on Monday" she went to pull her arm away but Akko had a grip like steel "Let go!"

"Not until you look me in the eye and promise me nothing is wrong!"

Diana locked her icy blue eyes onto Akkos fiery maroon ones and attempted her best poker face. The one that usually worked on her aunt. They stood like that, Akkos hand still on her arm, nether realizing quite how close they were to each other "I'm fine. Now please release my arm."

The brunette lets go, and they both backed up a couple steps "I-I guess I'll see you Monday morning then?" Her voice was softer, almost a little hurt.

Diana heard the tone and tried to soften her voice as well, feeling a little bad for snapping at the young meister "Yes. Enjoy your concert, alright? You've been working hard, you deserve it." Diana smiled softly, her eyes twinkling with genuine pride.

Akko nodded "Thanks Diana, I will. I, um, do you want to come? It'll be a lot of fun."

Hannah and Barbara exchanged a glance as Diana actually seemed to think about it. Finally, she shook her head "Thank you for offer Akko, however considering how Amanda reacted to me earlier, I don't believe attending would be in my best interest. However," she smiled again " I know you enjoy old monster movies, and I happened to obtain a copy of the original Godzilla. Perhaps tomorrow, if you're not busy, we could watch it?"

Akkos face absolutely lit up "Yeah! We can watch it in my dorm! Arya helped me set up a big TV, so we can play games together and the console can play DVD's!"

"Excellent. I'll see you around seven then?"

"Totally!"

The group broke up and headed to their respective destinations, Akko to her friends and Diana back to her apartment along with Hannah and Barbara. Of course with them walking a few steps behind her, she didn't see Hannah pull out a five dollar bill and pass it over to Barbara with a sigh.

Not that she was paying any attention anyways. She was too busy trying to understand why she got as upset as she did. It wasn't like her to get wound up by someone like Amanda. It was beneath her.

And yet…

It wasn't like Amanda didn't have valid arguments. Quite the contrary, she was absolutely right. She wasn't Akkos keeper. She wasn't her mother or guardian and Akko, while accident-prone, was capable of making her own decisions. So why had it upset her that Akko would rather go to a concer-

That. Right there.

She stopped walking, Hannah and Barbara almost bumping into her.

I-I'm jealous.

She couldn't believe it. She was actually jealous that Akko decided to spend time with Amanda and not her.

"Diana? Are you alright?" Barbara's concerned voice came from her right.

Diana turned as Hannah came around to stand next to her partner "You look a little pale. Is it because of that orange haired wanna be?"

"If it is don't worry about her. You could totally kick her butt!"

"Yeah, you're the best Diana!"

"You're going to be the next Death Scythe for sure!"

The girls babbling gave Diana the chance to save face and regroup mentally from the shock "Thank you, ladies, however I am quite alright."

The two looked at each other and then Diana, uncertainty on their faces. Hannah looked at her oddly "Are you sure?"

"Positive. I think I'm going to head home. I'll see you two tonight for dinner?"

The two nodded and Barbara took on an apologetic look "Yeah, but we might be eating late. We're going to be getting back late."

"That's alright. I can handle dinner."

The look of shock on the girl's faces were almost comical "Uh, Diana," Hannah started "The last time you tried to cook you uh, you burned boxed mac and cheese. We had to throw out the pot remember?"

"I do, however, I believe I can handle it this time." Sometimes when she was upset, she threw herself at learning new things as a distraction. Perhaps this would help with the jealousy issue. She was still badly embarrassed by the idea.

Hannah looked pretty skeptical. She cared for and respected Diana, but she was also quite protective of what she considered to be her kitchen, as well as the utensils that lie within.

Barbara cleared her throat "Well just remember, the fire extinguisher is under the sink, alright?"

Diana tried not to roll her eyes "I'm aware. I'll see you ladies tonight." With that she turned on her heel and left, clutching her books to her chest.

Meanwhile, her two friends turned to face each other, Hannah biting her lip "I don't think we're going to have an apartment to go home to."

Barbara shook her head 'I don't either. But if we come home early she's going to get mad."

"Do you think we can talk her into going out to eat?"

"I don't know. Maybe we can talk her into getting Italian. She likes that little place down on 42nd street."

Hannah made a face "Ick. They use way too much garlic!"

Barbara rolled her eyes "Do you want to suffer through too much garlic or her burning our house down?"

There was a beat as Hannah actually considered it "Your right. Hey, Diana wait up!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're in the home stretch guys, hold on to your hats =)


	26. Chapter 26

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heeey people of , AO3, Earth and beyond! Welcome back. First thing I have to say is THANK THE NINE that Dianakko week is over. So much great stuff came out, but holy cow was it hard trying to get my stuff up on time. Especially since my laptop decided it HAD TO DIE the first day. Still waiting for repairs to finish, but right now things are looking good. Thank the Nine for Google Docs, am I right?. Again, I'd like to give a big thank you to everyone who left me reviews and feedback. My writing is definitely getting better because of it!
> 
> Next, I would like to thank everyone for their patience with me while waiting for this update. Between my laptop, work, personal stuff, and a few side projects I've been mondo busy, but hopefully a double update makes up for it a teeny tiny bit?
> 
> And now a thank you to shelbyfish, Alscora, nonexistence, Sydnolo, madiKaldwin, and Danikairyu for the reviews! Always much appreciated!
> 
> And lastly, a major thank you to ImaginaryEngineer for Betaing for me! I'm running out of words to describe how amazing she is! I think I need to start taking submissions lol!

Chapter 26

It was Saturday and Akko couldn't be happier. No homework, no training. Just R&R and monster movies. Except for one small thing. She promised Diana she would take a little time to study.

However, to keep her promise, she needed to get a forgotten textbook out of her locker. Akko headed down the empty hall to the stairs, then headed down, making sure to hop the last one for good luck. It was something that she had done with her mother since she was little. She would stop on the second step, her mother would go to the bottom, and then she would hop into her mother's arms. As she got older she started skipping the step without her mother, and then the habit just stayed. She rounded another corner and passed by an almost closed door

"...No word from Ursula still."

Akko stopped and backed up a step. The voice sounded like Professor Orix.

"That's normal, but Azusa is always prompt with reporting in. They're in trouble." That was Trinity, Professor Nux's partner

"I'd believe it. I heard Lord Death is going to send two more teams to Athens. Probably in a week and a half"

"Who is he going to send?"

"I don't know, but there's a lot of bolstering amongst the teams. A lot of people want to go and off the witch."

"What about Ursula and Azusa, shouldn't getting them out be a priority?"

"That witch is strong. They knew that going in. There's nothing we can do. The priority is taking her out. Protect the world."

"Sacrifice the two for the good of the many."

Akko gasped No!

(~*~*~*~)

Diana was walking out of the school library when head what sounded like someone sprinting at her. "Diana!"

She turned in time to sidestep Akko, who tripped and fell, falling through the space Diana had just occupied and landing on her face.

The blonde sighed and shook her head before walking over and kneeling. "Akko?"

"Ow ow ow!" The girl rolled onto her back holding her nose.

"Here sit up. Let me see." Diana helped her sit up and then gently moved her hands away " It's bleeding but I don't believe it's broken. Here." She took out her handkerchief and pressed it to Akkos nose, then took Akkos and pressed it to the cloth before moving her other hand away "Don't move it and keep your head tilted down."

"Thanks." Akkos voice sounded clouded and congested from having the cloth pressed against it.

"You need to be more careful. What were you so excited about?"

Akkos eyes widened "Professor Ursula's in trouble!"

Diana frowned "What do you mean?"

"I heard Professor Orix and Trinity talking. They're going to send out two teams to kill the witch but they aren't going to prioritize saving Professor Ursula and Azusa-san."

"Akko slow down, what witch?"

"There's a witch in Athens. That's where Professor Ursula went. But she and Azusa-san haven't reported in! They're in trouble and they could die! We have to go save them!"

Diana looked at her for a long moment "Akko you-have you lost your mind?"

"What?"

" You want to go save someone being held captive by a witch so powerful a Death Scythe couldn't handle her. It's a suicide mission. No, absolutely not! You don't even know for sure if they really are in trouble."

"But Orix said-"

"I don't care what Professor Orix said Akko. The answer is no. We are not going. You are not going."

Akko narrowed her eyes "Professor Ursula has been there for us since day one! How can you say that? She's helped us get to where we are right now! She's the reason we got our first soul Diana! We can't give up on her!"

"We are no-"

"She paired us together! She taught us basic first aid! She taught us how to fight monsters! And now she needs to be saved from a monster and that's our job! Saving people from monsters!"

"Yes but-"

"Why can't you see that Diana? This is our job this is what you were born to do! This is my dream! And now you want to turn your back on-"

"Akko!" Akko stopped when she heard the commanding, irritated tone in Diana's voice "I don't understand why you can't seem to comprehend this. This is something neither one of us has the skill to handle. It would be a suicide mission. I wish we could help her, I care for her as well, but she wouldn't want us to run off half-cocked and ill-prepared on a mission a Death Scythe seemingly couldn't handle! Leave it for the two and three-star teams."

"But-"

"Enough! Akko if you go you won't return. You won't be able to graduate, you'll never be like Shiny Chariot!"

Akko finally stopped. She looked at Diana a long minute "Alright. I get it. Look I need to study. I'll see you later."

She got up, picked up her book bag that she had dropped, and then left Diana sitting there alone on the floor.

(~*~*~*~)

Later that night, Diana went by the dorms with Akko's freshly cleaned jacket, a DVD, and microwave popcorn. She actually felt bad for her partner. This thing with Ursula really had her torn up and Diana hoped maybe watching the movie would cheer her up.

She headed into the dorm and looked around. There was a common room to the left, a stairwell directly in front of her and a kitchen to her right. She was about to turn to check the kitchen when she heard her name called.

Turning the other way, Diana walked into the common room and saw Lotte and Sucy sitting with another girl playing a board game "Diana? What are you doing here?"

"Hello, Lotte. I was wondering if Akko is around?"

The shorter girl shook her head "No. Actually, she said you guys decided to watch a movie at your place."

"No, we didn't. I don't know why she would have told you…" She trailed off and fell silent. No. No she didn't… "Ladies, I have something I need to attend to. When Akko returns, if you could please tell her I need to speak to her I would greatly appreciate it. I don't think there is any reason to be alarmed." She turned and left.

She stepped out into the cool night air and left to check with Arya and Trixie.

(~*~*~*~)

Arya sat at her computer while Trixie cooked a frozen pizza. The mood was quiet and relaxed, both women enjoying the comfortable silence. Between training students, training themselves, and Trixies classes and papers that needed grading, downtime was rare. Atleast for the redhead

"He,y Trix?"

"Yeah?"

"I think I'm going to get that new graphics card after all."

"Does that mean I'm never going to get ye out o' the apartment?"

Her partner smiled sheepishly "Probably not. I get bored sitting around all day you know."

"I keep telling ye to get a job! That'll keep you busy!"

"Trixie I have a perfectly good job hunting witches! Why would I-"

Just then there was a sudden knock on the door and Trixie got up to answer it. Arya didn't pay it much mind until she heard the alarmed tone in her partner's voice, she spun around in her chair in time to see Trixie stand inside to let Diana Cavendish inside and close the door.

Somethings wrong. It was hard for Arya to put her finger on, but something seemed off about the heiress. Like she was unnerved. She got up and walked over while the young woman talked with Trixie "Diana? What's going on?"

The blonde set her stuff down and looked up at her " I apologize for disturbing you so late at night, however, I was wondering if you have seen Akko lately?"

The pair looked at each other and then back at Diana shaking her heads.

Something was bothering Arya though "Why did you lose her?"

Diana shook her head "Well, we had plans to watch a movie tonight in her dorm but evidently she told Lotte that we decided to do it at my apartment, however, no such plans had been made and now we aren't sure where she is. I thought maybe she would be here playing video games with you "

The meister shook her head "Nope."

Diana sighed "She overheard a conversation about Professor Ursula being kidnapped by a witch. She tried to talk me into going with her to save her but I told her it was too dangerous. I'm afraid she went to Greece." She sounded calm on the outside but on the inside, she was panicking. All she could think about was what had happened to her mother.

Meister and partner looked at Diana then each other. There was a chance Diana was wrong, but they also knew Akko well enough to know two things. She had a strong affinity for Ursula, and she was stubborn as hell. When she set her mind to something, she would do it. Regardless of the danger.

They were quiet for a minute and Diana could almost see the gears in their heads turning, contemplating options. They seemed to arrive at a decision at the same time because they both turned away and moved. Trixie dashed into her bedroom while Arya started to pull books off the bookshelves. Then she dashed to her desk and opened a drawer, pulling out a laptop and charger.

By the time she had her things together Trixie had come out with two backpacks and a laptop case. She tossed Arya the case before turning to Diana "Arya and I will handle this. Go home, act like nothing has happened. If anyone asks, Akko and Arya went to a gamers convention in Las Vegas. It's not too far and is believable. I don't want to cause panic amongst the students."

"I'm not staying behind."

"Oh yes ye are Diana. There is no way yer going on this mission."

Diana glared at her "I will not stand idle while my meister is in potential danger! Right now she's about to face a powerful witch unarmed and alone! She won't stand any chance at all without me!"

"Diana!"

The blonde turned on her heel and found herself face to face with the taller meister. There was a fire in Arya's eyes that she had never seen before " This isn't a game. You don't have a Meister, you can't always hold your form, you're difficult to wield and to top it off you can't resonate yet. I have a job to do. Get in, save a young, also unprepared student who may or may not be badly injured, and get out without getting hurt or dying. Not to mention Azusa and Ursula. I also have to potentially fight a very, very powerful witch, not die, and not let my partner die. Diana you will get in my way. You will be dead weight and slow us down and I can not afford to have that happen. I know it's not fair and I know it sounds mean but this is real and I will not sugar coat things for you. I respect you enough to not do you a disservice like that. You're smart enough and old enough to be able to handle the truth. You absolutely are not going on this mission."

"What would you do if it was Trixie? If Trixie was in trouble and another team was going in to save her would you sit on the sidelines and watch? I don't think so. I think you would be in the middle of the fray, taking charge and doing everything you could to save her. It was foolish of her to go by herself, however, I couldn't live with myself if something happened to her and I simply stood by and allowed it to happen. Weapons protect their meisters."

The room was silent for a beat before she added "And besides, once you find Akko she's going to be useless without a weapon. How are you going to get her, Azusa and Ursula out of there without having a way to protect yourselves? That's just as foolish as what Akko did, if not more so. You're a two star team. You should know better."

The rarely seen vein in Aryas neck made an appearance as the two stood there glaring at each other. Aryas face full of raw anger, Diana's wearing a look of elitist disinterest and arrogance.

After what seemed like hours, Arya finally broke eye contact with a sigh. What choice did she have? Diana was right, if Akko was getting into trouble she would need her weapon. And she knew Diana was stubborn enough to go with or without her approval. She really didn't like the idea of having another person to have to try and take care of, but if Diana was going to be a variable, then at least she could make her be one she could control.

Arya crossed her arms "You're going to go home," her voice was soft but carried an edge to it. It seemed to Diana like the woman was under a lot of stress " You are going to tell your roommates/part-time minions that you had to go home to England for the weekend. You will pack the bare necessities. Keep it small, keep it light. You will spend more time in the field than you will brushing your teeth in a hotel room. This won't be anything like Glasgow . I will see you at the airport in one hour, gate four. Do not be late." she turned on her heel and left the apartment, slamming the door behind her.

The room was quiet again. Diana staring ahead at the wall, Trixie watching her. Finally, Trixie came forward and put a hand on Diana's shoulder "Yer not the only one with weight on her shoulders, lass. Don't judge her too harshly" Then she was gone, leaving the young woman alone.


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27

It was 8 pm and 11-year-old Diana was ready for bed. She was on her way to her mother's study to say good night.

She was about there when she saw the door was standing partially open and she could hear her mother talking fast with her partner Adele.

"Bernadette this is crazy."

"We can't stand by and do nothing."

" Just wait until Lord Death sends back up."

"By then it will be too late."

"Bernadette you could die!"

"It's a dangerous job."

"You have a daughter! You're all she has!"

"If I don't stop this, she would be in much worse danger Adele. I am a death scythe, this is my duty."

"And you're also a mother. You have a duty to Dian- well well look who it is. Bedtime already?"

She had seen Diana by the door. The little girl shyly walked into her mother's study "I- I'm going to bed mother."

Her mother came forward and knelt in front of her before pulling her into a hug "Would you like me to tuck you in?"

Diana shook her head "It's ok. I can do it. Mother, are you going away again?"

Bernadette smile and kissed her forehead " Only for a little bit. I'll be back by Monday. Your Aunt Deryl and cousins will be here. And so will Anna."

"Are you going to get the bad guys and save the world?"

Her mother chuckled "Yes. I'm going to get the bad guys and save the world. And when I come home, we'll go out and get ice cream, just like always. Ok?"

Diana's face lit up and she hugged her only parent tight "Ok! I love you."

Bernadette hugged her back "I love you too Diana."

"Diana..."  
(-----)  
"...Diana, we're landing." The blonde opened her eyes and sat up before looking out the window. She could feel the plane begin to descend. She watched as they dropped through the clouds and then suddenly she could see the whole city.

"Ladies and gentlemen please fasten your seatbelts, we are beginning our descent. The temperature is a balmy 60 degrees with a high chance of rain later in the day. Folks, welcome to Athens."

Diana bit her lip. Somewhere down there was Akko. And somehow she had a really, really strong feeling she was either in trouble, or about to be.

(~*~*~*~*~)

"Cerce!"

The brunette witch came running into the throne room and took a knee "Yes Ma'am?"

"I am going to move preparations for the ceremony up. I proceed tonight."

Cerce looked up puzzled "What? What about me?"

The woman chuckled and descended from her dias before walking up to the woman and kneeling in front of her "You, my useless minion, will go after the 2-star team who just landed and kill her and her partner!" She grabbed Cerce and pinned her to the ground by her neck "Ether kill them, or die to try. This is your last chance Cerce. I will not tolerate failure again. Come back in defeat and I will kill you myself. Now if you'll excuse me I have matters to attend to."

She stood and left the room, leaving Cerce alone with her own fear.

(*~*~*~*~*)

Azusa opened her eyes "Ursula we-we need to move." Her glasses were long gone, and at least half her face swollen along with her eyes. She could barely see. "Ursula. D-did you hear me?"

There was a rustling sound "Y-yes I'm here. Are you sure about this Azusa? It's going to hurt, and there might be permanent damage"

The death scythe nodded "Yes." she braced herself.

"Wait!" Ursula struggled to her feet and looked around. Not seeing what she wanted, she then tore off a strip of fabric from her shirt and folded it into a wad before walking up to Azusa. The older weapon caught on and opened her mouth, allowing Ursula to put it in before biting down on it. Then Ursula closed her eyes and turned away.

Azusa grunted and the chains rustled. Then there was a sickening pop followed by Azusa yelling through the gag.

When it was over she turned around to see Azusa hanging from one shackle, her other arm dangling by her side, blood dripping onto the ground. The skin around her wrist was cut up and mangled, the thumb twisted at an odd angle and hanging dislocated from her hand.

She took a few minutes to catch her breath and calm down before lifting her shaking hand to the other shackle, turning her index finger into a very thin, needle-like crossbow bolt. Then she slipped it into the lock on the other shackle. It took her some time but she finally managed to pick the lock and spring the shackle open. She fell forward, bracing herself for impact onto the stone floor but it never came.

Instead, Ursula had stepped forward to catch her partner "It's ok. I've got you. Try and breath or you'll go into shock." She lowered Azusa down until they were kneeling on the floor "That's it."

They knelt in silence for a while as Azusa got a grip on herself. When she did, she looked up at Ursula and nodded. The meister helped her stand and together they limped over to the cell door. Changing her hand again, Azusa slid her finger into the lock on the door with Ursula's help and then picked it. It opened with a soft tick. The two looked at each other with tired, weary eyes. Then Azusa changed into her crossbow form and landed in Ursula's hands. This was it. They had to put a stop to the ceremony or die trying.

(~*~*~*~*~)

Trixie stood with Arya and Diana in front of a greek archway built into the side of a mountain. It reminded the redhead of a doorway to hell. Or the gaping maw of some monster ready to swallow them whole.

"Trix, I think you should change. You as well Diana." Arya's voice was soft and serious, the same way it always was on a mission. She was lovable and dopey at home but in the field, Arya was calm, collected and in charge.

Diana changed and Arya sheathed her in the scabbard hanging across her back. She'd gotten it when she did a mission with Diana's mother and just never gotten rid of it.

Then Trixie changed and landed in Arya's hand. Her meisters strong, firm grip helped calm her nerves and boost her confidence. Arya had a plan, she always did. They had run dozens of missions together, and no matter what they got through. They always made it through. Once she had Trixie, Arya headed into the tunnel, keeping her at the ready. Not 10 steps in the floor began to descend and turn into a crude, crumbling flight of stairs. Barely able to see, Arya put her foot on the first step.

There was a sudden flash and the tunnel lit up with candlelight. Lining the stairs were alcoves carved into the wall with candles in them.

Trixie made a noise "It must be an automatic motion spell."

Arya grunted as she began to descend the stairs "Let's hope no one saw the lights turn on."

As they continued to go down, the temperature continued to drop and the old stone walls became slick with moisture and algae. Even the air itself changed, becoming thicker and stale, reminding Diana of the smell of old books. Finally, they came to the bottom of the steps. There were three hallways, one ahead, one to the left and one to the right.

"What do ye think?"

Arya was quiet for a spell, mulling things over "I think left."

Diana's curiosity peaked "Why left?"

Arya pointed "Less dust. The other two paths are caked in it. Besides, the direct path is usually the one with booby traps."

"Aye, we learned that the hard way."

They walked on for a spell. It was quiet. To the point where Arya could hear her heartbeat pounding in her ears. Finally, they reached the end of a hall and heard footsteps. Arya pressed against the wall and watched as two guards passed by.

"Trix." She whispered

"Aye."

Arya stepped out behind them and drew Trixie's string back. Two arrows shimmered into existence. The meister took a deep breath, then exhaled and released.

The arrows flew true and hit the guards in the neck. They both fell with a clank. Then vanished in a puff of smoke, leaving behind two sets of old greek armor, swords, and shields. Arya nodded "They're only semi corporeal beings. Made of magic. That's good."

Trixie changed human, then she and her partner through the armor and helmets on. Then Arya slung Diana across her back before picking up her sword and shield.

Diana observed quietly. These guys were good. Very good. She knew they were on point from working with them in Glasgow, but here she was riding shotgun on their mission. She was observing professionals at work in their field. This was something no number of books could ever give her. Field experience watching a very strong, fine-tuned team. They barely had to speak to communicate. They ran into more guards and dispatched them quickly and efficiently, Trixie changing quickly back and forth with no effort at all. Something that Diana could only dream of doing. She still had issues changing from time to time, and she couldn't imagine what it was like to do it without a thought or effort.

Suddenly there was a click and a twang. Arya whipped around, drawing Diana as she did so but she was too slow. A crossbow bolt flew past her, grazing her upper arm. She gasped in pain but managed to hold her stance. There were footsteps and then her attacker emerged from the shadows

"Professor?"

It was a bruised and bloody Professor Ursula. She was limping a little bit, and carrying a heavy duty crossbow equipped with a scope and what looked like the end of a musket muzzle. Seeing Arya, she lowered the crossbow and seemed to relax "Its just you two. Are you all right Arya."

She walked over to Arya as the younger meister sheathed Diana so she could tear a strip off the bottom of her shirt. Ursula took it from her and gently tied it around her arm "I'm so sorry!"

"It's fine. I'm just glad it wasn't further to the right." She was irritated but had enough respect for Ursula not to yell "Wasnt that the first thing you taught us though? Identify your target before firing?"

Ursula nodded with a nervous chuckle "It's the first thing I teach all of my ranged weapon students."

"Ladies, I'm sorry to interrupt but I think we need to get moving. Akko is still out there somewhere."

The bespectacled professor looked up and around at the voice, then for the first time noticed Diana hanging off of Aryas back.

"Diana?"

"Hello, Professor."

Ursula frowned and stepped back to look at Arya and Trixie "You two brought a lone, zero star weapon along? I thought you were taught better than that! And what was that about Akko?"

Trixie sighed "According to Diana she came out here to rescue you."

"Have you confirmed it?"

Arya nodded "When we landed, I hacked into the airport's security system and checked the footage. She's here."

Ursula sighed and looked down at the stock of the crossbow were Azusa's face appeared "Azusa, we're going to have to go after her."

"Our first priority is stopping Cerce. This transcends finding one student."

"I'm a professor! It's my duty to protect my students!"

"You're a meister first Ursula."

"Yes and meisters help those in trouble!"

Arya snorted "You two aren't exactly in shape to help anyone right now."

Azusa hit her with a glare more suited for melting stone "And you are?"

"Arya Thorten and Trixie O'Conner. We're a two-star team stationed in Glasgow."

There were bootsteps behind them. Arya and Ursula both turned and fired at the guard. It staggered as an arrow pierced its chest armor nanoseconds before a crossbow bolt went through the eye slit in its helmet.

Azusa laughed as they turned back around "Your how many years out of school now? Looks to me about 3? And you're still only a two-star team?"

Arya glared at the crossbow "I'm impressed you can see anything right now."

The crossbow started to glow and then vanished in a flash of light, being replaced by Azusa, who strode forward and got in the younger girls face. She leaned in, the light reflecting off of her cracked and broken glasses, blocking out her eyes for a second "You are not fit to fight this witch. Go back to playing in the sandbox, or crying to mommy. I don't care which. Just take your poor partner and the student you dragged down here and leave the witch slaying to the adults"

There was a beat where nothing happened. And then Arya went to lunge at Azusa, but before she could get anywhere Trixie was behind her, her arm around her waist "Easy lass. Breathe. Come on damn you breathe."

Ursula glared at Azusa "That was uncalled for! I think desperate times call for desperate measures! Arya, it's not just Cerce. There's another witch pulling the strings, one worse than Cerce. Have you ever heard of the witch Phrike?"

Arya shook her head but Diana spoke up "She was an immensely powerful witch who lived during the 1800's. I thought she was killed by Winston England and Eponine Deveraux"

"Apparently not. She's alive and well, and trying to summon a Titan."

"What?!" Trixie was shocked. That changed things, Azusa and Ursula couldn't handle on their own. "Ok new plan. Diana get out of here, find Akko then leave. Contact Lord Death and request back up. Anyone- everyone. All the muscle he can spare. Move as fast as you can."

There was a flash and Diana appeared in her human form "Are you sure it's a Titan?" she remembered back to the book she had read on them when she was younger. Tales of the savage beasts scared her so bad she hid under her bed for hours before Anna found her and tried to pull her out. Refusing to budge, she laid there for several more hours until her Aunt Daryl had two servants lift the mattress off the frame and got her out that way.

Ursula looked at them "Trixie-"

"You can't take down two witches alone. Yer both injured. It's not ideal but if there's any chance of us all getting out of here, that's how it's going to happen."

"But Diana doesn't-" she knew at this point she was arguing in vain. Trixie was right. With her and Azusa being hurt, they couldn't hope to face Cerce and Phrike on their own.

"There is no choice. The guards are only semi-corporeal. She can handle it. Diana, get Akko, get out. Understand?"

All four women turned to look at her. She nodded "Alright. I'll find Akko and meet you back at the room."

They all nodded and split up. Diana walked over to the pile of armor left by the guard Trixie killed and donned it. Her heart was pounding and she realized she was scared. She had spent so much time lecturing Akko about how this was real life she never stopped to let it sink it herself. This was real. She was in an underground labyrinth, all lone, looking for her partner, surrounded by hostile semi-real beings controlled by two very powerful witches who beat up a death scythe.

She stood there, in the empty hallway in the gloom and chill and damp, with fear setting in. Fight or flight, a primal urge left over from the long gone days when man wasn't much more than a monkey walking on two legs. It was the brain telling you yes, you can walk across that patch of grass and not get hurt, or no. You can not fight that tiger, it will kill you. Run.

Right now she was staring a snarling tiger in the face. So close she could count his teeth. Every cell in her brain was screaming for her to run, and yet she used sheer will to override it all and keep moving one foot in front of the other. She had to be strong. For herself and for Akko. And besides, this was her life. It would be her career. Akko was right, they saved people and the world. And right now she had someone she had to save.


	28. Chapter 28

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone welcomes back! Not much to say outside of I hope you all enjoy the update! Oh! And my laptop is fixed! So hopefully quicker updates!
> 
> As always, my eternal thanks go to ImagineryEngineer for betaing for me!
> 
> Shout out to Jasper,Potaolyf, shelbyfish, DaniKairyu, angelluck and Alscora for leaving feedback! always appreciated

Chapter 28

Akko wandered through the labyrinth on her own. It was so quiet she was beginning to wonder if she had the right underground maze. All the locals said funny noises were coming out of this place. And that they had seen dead live stock appearing more and more in the surrounding fields. This had to be the right spot, but where were all the bad guys? Maybe they were all out to lunch. Yeah, that was probably it.

Her stomach rumbled at the thought of food, and she looked down, putting her hands on her stomach. She was so hungry, she should've packed a snack or two. She continued to walk, mulling over how nice it would be to get her hands on her mother's rice balls.

Suddenly and without warning Akkos foot was falling through empty space. She flailed, desperately trying to grab onto something, anything, and stop her fall. The gap was narrow enough she was able to grab on to the far edge but the stone was slick, and she couldn't get a good grip. Her hands kept sliding and she couldn't pull herself up. Looking down, Akko was greeted with the sight of black nothingness, the bottom of the pit being so far down, the dim light from the wall scones couldn't reach it. She tried to use her legs to get a boost but there was nothing to hook her toes into.

This was bad. She was stuck, and there was no way to get out of this. She was going to die. She felt her fingers slipping and she couldn't make it stop. They reached the edge and the suddenly there was nothing to hold onto. She yelled as she began to fall but then suddenly the fall stopped and there was pressure around her wrist.

She opened her eyes and looked up. There was a hand around her wrist. She followed the arm it was attached to and burst into a grin. Even with a Greek helmet hiding most of her features, the blue eyes shining through the eye slits were unmistakable "Diana!"

With a grunt, the blonde heaved Akko up and over the edge. Diana fell backwards and landed on the floor with Akko right on top of her.

They laid there for a minute, stunned, before Akko propped herself up on her hands so she could look down at Diana "You came!"

"Of course I came. Did you honestly think I would let you wander unarmed into a witch's lair?"

"Well… you kinda did. But I'm glad you're here now!" She let herself fall back down on top of Diana, who grunted at the sudden impact, and hugged her.

Diana hesitated then actually hugged her back "I'm glad you're safe." and she meant it. She didn't know what she would have done if she had lost Akko. She had become very fond of the goofball. Two months ago she'd never have thought it possible but now, she couldn't have imagined her life without her.

They lay there for a minute, just holding on to one another. Then Diana spoke up "Akko, could you possibly get off of me? I'm having difficulty breathing."

"What? Oh, I'm sorry!"

She scrambled to get off of the blonde, who sat up and took a deep breath. She was grateful for the lack of light making it hard to see how red her face was "Professor Ursula and Azusa are alright. They broke out and Arya and Trixie are here with them. They're going to take care of the witches. We need to contact Lord Death and request assistance."

"Witches? As in plural?"

"Yes. Apparently there are two. They are attempting to summon a titan."

"A what?"

Diana sighed "A titan. An incredibly powerful being from the era before demon weapons. They are summoned through blood magic and difficult to control. They have to be stopped."

"Well then let's go!"

"Akko we can't! We need to leave and find a mirror!"

Akko pouted for a minute then got her big idea "Hey I have an idea!" she pulled out her phone but didn't turn it on, leaving the screen black and reflective. "42 42 564…" she wrote on the phone screen with her finger.

Diana couldn't believe it when the screen rippled and Lord Death appeared " Hey hey hey! Why Miss Kagari this is a surprise! What can I do for you?"

"Hi sir! Well right now we're in Greece, and we need back up."

"Wait what? What do you mean?"

"Professor Ursula was in trouble so I came out to help her and then Arya, Trixie and Diana came to help me and now they need help because there're two witches and they want to summon a kraken!"

Diana pinched the bridge of her nose. "Titan."

"I mean a titan!"

Lord Death was silent for a minute. "You're sure?"

Akko nodded. "Yes sir!."

He nodded "Alright, I want both of you to get out of there now. I will have 3 teams on the ground tomorrow."

Akko looked outraged "But sir they'll be dead tomorrow! All of them!"

"It's the best I can do Miss Kagari. This is a dangerous profession, they all know that. Is Miss Cavendish there?"

Diana moved to kneel behind Akko "Yes sir."

"Good. Miss Cavendish, I want you to take Akko and get out of there. Can I trust you?"

Diana nodded "Of course sir."

"Good. Report in when you're back in your hotel room. Death out." The screen went blank.

Diana let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding "Alright Akko lets go." she stood and started to walk away, getting about 10 feet before realizing Akko wasn't next to her. She turned around "Akko, we received a direct order from Lord Death. We need to leave."

Akko didn't reply. It looked like she was...weighing options. She was about to do something stupid. Diana could see it on her face "Akko whatever you're about to do, don't."

"We can't leave them behind." Akkos voice was soft and serious as she got to her feet.

"We've been through this."

"I don't care. We save people. It's our job."

"Akko we will die if we go into that fight!"

"No we won't! Not if we believe in ourselves!"

"I won't be able to dissuade you from this, will I." It was a statement, not a question.

"No." The determination was back in Akkos eyes. The fiery, stubborn, steely resolve that just wouldn't budge. This was a horrible, horrible mistake. Diana knew that. In fact there probably wasn't one person on the planet who knew that better than her when it came to charging in unprepared to fight a witch.

But she also knew that Akko only stood a chance if she went with her. As afraid as she was, her determination to protect her meister was stronger. She walked up to Akko and stood almost toe to toe with her. They glared at each other for a long moment before Diana relented and changed.

Akko fumbled but managed to catch her "Diana…"

"I don't believe I have to inform you that I have no intention of dying?"

Akko laughed and hefted her weapon, suddenly feeling more confident "Nope! Let's go!"

(~*~*~*~*~*~)

Arya and Trixie rounded a corner, hot on Ursula's heels "How are we going to handle this fight? We both have ranged weapons."

Azusa mulled it over " You and Trixie stay in the back. Her size makes her too cumbersome at close range. Use her to keep them pinned down. Ursula and I will attack from mid-range."

"That's great if there's only one of them."

"If you have a better idea I'm liste-" Azusa stopped talking. They had rounded a corner and suddenly they were in what appeared to be a throne room. The ceiling was vaulted and the walk way down the middle lined with pillars, each one adorned with a candle wielding wall sconce. There was a dais with an old, crumbling, empty stone throne on it. None of that was what held the women's attention however.

In the center of the room stood over a dozen barrels, a few of them oozing a fiendish looking red liquid. Surrounding them were dozens of purple candles of various heights and thicknesses.

"I-is that…"

Ursula nodded "Blood."

She turned and looked at the younger meister. She could tell from her face Arya was unnerved. This whole time she had been calm and in control but now it was like she had just...crumbled a little.

She went to say something but before she could there was a chuckle from the far end of the room, snapping Arya out of her funk. She and Ursula turned to see a tall Greek woman with dark hair step into the light. "Ah so that's where you went to. Oh and you brought friends too! Perfect!"

Azusa made a noise "Cerce."

"Azusa. I see you broke out of your chains? How did you manage that?"

"Wouldn't you like to know."

"Oh now don't be that way. By the way, who's your other little friend? Excuse me friends, I'm going to assume that longbow is a Demon Weapon."

Arya seemed to snap out of it and glared "My name is Arya Thorton, and as a Meister under orders from Lord Death I hereby claim your corrupted soul!"

"A meister? So that is a Demon Weapon you're holding! My, I don't think I've ever seen an English longbow before. They seem to have passed out of style around, oh, the fifteen hundreds or so."

"Oh ha ha. How about I kick yer arse all the way to 1505 and back again!"

The witch started to laugh "A Scottish English longbow! Oh the irony!"

"Oh that is it! Arya!"

The meister didn't say a word, and instead lifted and fired a three arrow spread at the witch before Ursula could stop her. At the last second Cerce waved her hand and a force field shimmered into existence. The arrows, made of highly concentrated soul wavelength hit the shield and evaporated. "Fal falcon falcon fal!"

Several rocks rose in the air and with a pop took on the shape of an arrow head, all pointed at the pair. Before she could do anything they flew at her and she had to tuck and roll to the side to dodge. While Cerce was focused on Arya, Ursula moved to the side, behind a pillar and started rapid-fire shooting at Cerce. The force field broke and then Arya shot another spread, forcing Cerce to physically dodge the attacks.

The two teams went back and forth, shooting and dodging. Ursula tucked behind another pillar, panting "I don't understand why she's not fighting back."

Azusa was quiet while her partner leaned out and fired another bolt "I don't know. Just stay sharp. I think we need an edge. Can you resonate?"

"I don't think I have the strength."

"Can Trixie and Arya do it?"

Ursula popped up and shot off a few more rounds before dashing behind another pillar "They're a two-star team of course they can!"

"That doesn't give me any confidence. Try to get over to them"

Ursula rolled her eyes but then did as told. She ducked right, alternating between rolling and shooting her way across the walkway. Finally, she reached the other side and holed up behind a fallen pillar near Arya.

"Arya you need to resonate. We need an edge!"

The younger woman shot an arrow and then tucked back behind her upright pillar "Alright, but was it a good idea for us to hole up in the same place?" She went to lean around again but yelped and tucked back behind as a fireball whizzed through the space her head had just occupied. It flew on to the back wall and exploded on impact, causing flaming rubble to shower down on the meisters.

Arya turned her head to the side as a large burning piece of debris flew at her, hitting her right below her ear. She cried out and dropped to her knee, trying to fight back the pain and just focus.

"Arya!" After a minute she shook her head, her eyes opening " I'm ok!" She stayed low and crept over to Ursula as another fireball flew inches over her head and exploded against the back wall, showering the meisters with more rock and debris. "Get on the other side, hold her attention. I'll creep up and make the kill shot."

"Are you sure you're alright?"

"As good as I'm going to be, let's move!"

Ursula nodded, and they split, Arya creeping along one side, Ursula popping up from behind the pillar and hitting Cerce with pot shots of various degrees of strength.

Cerce laughed "Is that all you have? The mighty Ursula Calistis and Azusa Yumi are pushovers!" she closed her eyes and tapped into the power running through her "Fal fal falcon falcon. Fal falcon fal fal!"

The pillar Ursula was crouched behind rumbled and lifted up an inch, before flying back toward the wall, crushing the meister for a second before dropping and rolling away "There we go, now that things are a bit more fair. Arya I think it's time we played together what do you think? Now where are you hiding?"

Silence.

Dead silence.

"Oh, now you're so unfriendly! Didn't your mother ever teach you man-"

"Please, manners are the one thing my mother lacks!"

Cerce whipped around to see Arya standing there, her hair blowing behind her. In her hands was a recurve bow, glowing with its own inner green light. The gold string was pulled back, and nocked was a large glowing arrow with a wickedly sharp tip.

"Oh, am I supposed to be afraid of one little arrow?"

"No." Arya smirked as the arrow split into five "You're supposed to be afraid of five."

Cerce was silent

"Ready Trix?"

"Aye."

"Alright. Tri-Axle Razor!" She released the arrows. Two flew up, two down, one in the middle. The top and bottom ones began to revolve around each other, all of them honing in on Cerce. There was a huge explosion as they made impact. Arya turned her head away while debris flew and the shock wave hit her.

As the dust settled Trixie changed back and went to grab the witches soul before going over to Ursula. Trixie dropped to her knees next to the injured woman while Arya picked up Azusa and stood guard.

While Trixie looked over Ursula, Arya looked down at Azusa. She could feel the power pulsing through the crossbow, making her fingers tingle. She was a truly elegant weapon, Arya just hoped she didn't have to use her, she didn't know if she was strong enough.

"How is she?"

Trixie clicked her tongue "Stable but several ribs are broken. We need to get 'er out and to a hospital, she probably has internal damage."

"What about the other witch and the titan?" asked Arya

"I- I don't know. If Diana found Akko and managed to get out then Lord Death should have help on the way."

Azusa appeared in the stock of the crossbow shaking her head "Too many ifs. For all we know Diana could be captured or worse."

"Look we know we need to get her out of here. That's a certainty. I have a feeling Diana and Akko found each other, and there is no way Diana would stay down here longer than necessary. She understands the danger. I say we blow the blood sky-high, delay her plan, and then get the hell out of here."

Trixie nodded in agreement with her partner "I think that's a good idea. Arya, can you handle Azusa?"

Her partner nodded, although she was still unsure. However, Azusa wouldn't be able to carry Ursula. Arya would have to be able to wield her, there was no other choice "Ok, lets get going."

Azusa changed back to her human form and attempted to stand watch while Arya and Trixie carefully moved the unconscious Ursula out into the hallway. Then Trixie changed and landed in Arya's hand as her meister walked back into the throne room to destroy the blood.

The meister took her stance and got ready to resonate but suddenly stopped. She was just staring at the leaking barrels, suddenly unable to move.

"Arya?"

She just stood there unresponsive. Trixie changed and got in front of Arya "Oi! Arya!"

Arya shook her head "Huh? Y-yeah right let's go."

Trixie changed and Arya took her stance again. She prepared to start the resonance but before she could, a sudden chill crept down her spine, making her shiver and lose her focus again. She looked up and around, then froze. On the other side of the room, up on the dais, was a pair on glowing red eyes. They locked with hers and suddenly she felt herself go incredibly cold, like all the blood had just been drained from her body. Her heartbeat picked up, her stomach did a back flip and that's when she realized she was experiencing fear. Extreme, paralyzing fear. Fear that made her want to melt into the floor, or hide in a corner deep underground and never come out.

Her hand started to shake, and she dropped Trixie before falling to her knees. That was when the eyes moved. Off the dais and closer to the light, enough that Arya could make out the form of a woman, but not enough that she could see details. She finally spoke with a soft voice that lingered just a little too long on the S's.

"Well, it looks like you killed my right-hand woman. I should congratulate you, it's quite the feat. However, I'm afraid it will be you're last."

It took her a minute but Arya managed to find her voice "W-who are you?"

The answer came from behind her "Phrike" There were footsteps and then Azusa was standing next to her. She lifted her arm and it turned into a crossbow. Without hesitation, she fired a shot in the direction Phrike's voice was coming from. Even in her weakened state, the bolt accurately flew at Phrike's head, forcing her to move and break eye contact with the younger meister. Arya grabbed Trixie and scrambled to her feet. She seemed alright, but Trixie could feel her hand trembling "A very powerful, very old witch. She enjoys playing mind games with her victims and causing them to hallucinate, forcing them to relive past horrors or made up ones before she kills them. Do not make eye contact with her"

The witch chuckled "Thank you, Azusa, for that marvelous introduction."

Arya's voice trembled "M-my name is-"

"Arya Thorton and you're here under orders from Lord Death to take my soul. Right?"

"I-you-"

"Were in the room while you fought Cerce? Yes. So not only do I know how you fight, but I also know your finishing move. You, however, don't know a thing about me. So, my young, inexperienced meister, how would you like to proceed?"

Arya looked up at Azusa, lost for words. She was out of her element now.

Azusa looked around, looking for options and finding few. Two weapons but only one meister who she quite honestly didn't have faith in. Ursula needed to get out, and the others were young "Arya, I want you to take Trixie and Ursula and get out of here. I can't have you stay here and get hurt."

"You'll die!"

"Arya, go. You underestimate me."

"You're injured!"

Azusa turned to look at her "I am a Death Scythe. I can handle it now get moving!"

Arya could see she didn't have a choice. She turned and ran back to Ursula's body. Trixie changed and helped Arya get Ursula on her back piggy back style. The girls looked back at the Death Scythe one last time before turning and taking off.

"My my Azusa, that was generous of you. Sending my dear Fidi a snack!"

"So the oversized worm is still around then?" she started to circle slowly, keeping her eyes closed and relying on her hearing. She'd met the witch a long time ago, back when she was still in the academy. She liked to talk then, and apparently that habit didn't go away.

"Don't be mean. He is very much still around."

"What a shame." She heard a soft shuffle to her left followed by a pop. She ducked, and a second later felt a breeze as something flew over her head. There was a soft boom, followed by a bust of heat against her back. She knew then the witch had launched a fireball. Listening for footsteps, Azusa began firing off arrows, using the sound of Phrike's footsteps to track her and pinpoint her location. Maybe she could pull this off.

She hoped she could pull this off.


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter 29

"Akko, I believe we went down this hallway already."

Akko stopped walking and looked around "I don't think so. See that rock? It's new!"

"You kicked it in frustration about ten minutes ago."

" I did?"

If Diana had had hands right at that moment she would have face palmed "Yes."

"Oh. Ugh!" Akko kicked out at the rock and sent it flying down the hallway and into the dark beyond.

"Akko you need to calm down. Getting frustrated will only make it harder to- Do you hear that?"

"I can't hear anything over you yelling at me…"

"Akko!"

"Alright alright, I'm listening." She stopped talking and listened. It took a second but then she pinpointed it "Its sounds like something heavy being dragged on the ground."

"I think we need to leave."

"Yeah, I think I agree." Akko got up and started to back down the hallway, moving away from where she thought the sound was coming from, but despite that, it only seemed to grow louder.

Finally, it was almost on top of them when Diana pinpointed the source through the gloom "Akko turn around!"

Akko whirled around and lifted Diana in time to catch a giant snake's open mouth with her. For a second she stood there, pushing back against the snake while Diana's edge cut into its open mouth. She could see its massive fangs, as long as her hand and dripping with an evil looking venom. Finally, she managed to push hard and force the snake back. It dropped down and turned, slithering back a few feet before turning around yet again, looking Akko and Diana over while blood dripped from its mouth.

Akko looked at it with wide eyes. The thing had to be over twenty feet long and as thick as a drain pipe. Its scales where coal black and it seemed to have red diamonds along the length of its back. She shifted into her modified en garde stance and tried to break down her opponent. No claws or talons, not spikes on its body. All she had to worry about was its head.

The snake sat there, its tongue blipping in and out. It soon became clear she would have to take the offensive. She shifted a bit and then charged forwards toward the snake. It reared and lunged, but Akko was faster. She ducked to the right and spun while lunging out with Diana but before she could make contact something heavy hit her from behind and sent her flying back over the snakes head. She'd forgotten about the tail.

She landed with a thud several feet away, the sudden impact knocking the air from her lungs She heard the dragging sound and rolled, springing up as the snake lunged at the space she had just occupied. It hit its head on the floor, dazing itself.

Akko saw her opening and took it. She lunged out and ran Diana through the snake. However, it thrashed and jerked away before Akko could pull her partner back out, breaking her grip and causing her to lose her weapon.

"Distract it for a moment!"

"How? Why?"

"Just do it!"

Akko blinked. Distract a large, angry, dangerous snake. Got it. "Hey you over grown inch worm!" The snakes eyes narrowed. Akko then turned around and shook her butt at it before blowing a raspberry. She turned back around, ready to duck the attack she knew was coming, but never had to.

While the snake had been focused on Akko, Diana had changed and yanked her arm out of the snake. Leaving it in the form of a blade, she then swung her arm and lopped the snakes head off. It fell to the ground with a thunk and the body went limp, blood trickling out of the stump where the head had been attached.

Akko looked up at Diana, who was pulling out a handkerchief and using it to clean the blood off the blade before turning it back into her hand "Are you alright?"

"Yes, are you?"

"Probably going to have some new bruises, but other than that I'm alright."

Diana nodded "We should get going." She changed again and landed in Akkos hand.

The meister turned and went to walk away "I really need to get you a scabbard."

"I may have something at home you can use. Rapiers run in the family. I'll ask Anna to look around and see what she can find."

"Really? You're all rapiers?"

"Most of us. There were a few bows and scythes as well. One battle axe and my great uncle Hogan was a Scottish Claymore."

"You had a great uncle Hogan?"

"Yes. We don't really discuss him much. He, um, was a little odd."

"Odd as in putting a sock in the freezer to make it snow odd?"

"Odd as in skipping through the fields without any- Stop moving for a second."

Akko stopped walking. It took a second but then she picked up on it. A popping and cracking noise. Like someone was cracking their knuckles over and over again.

She whipped around, Diana at the ready, in time to see two heads burst out of the stump where the snakes first head had been. It reared and hissed, both sets of eyes filled with hate and malice.

Akko was in trouble "D-Diana?"

For once, however, the straight-A student had no idea "I-I don't- run!"

Not needing to be told twice, Akko turned tail and bolted down the hallway. The snake hissed and tore after her, both heads locked onto her fleeing form.

She hung a left and found herself at a dead end. This was really, really bad. Akko turned back around as the snake slithered towards her slowly, its body gliding easily across the slick floor.

Then Akko got her big idea.

She bent down and picked up a big rock, hefting it before flinging it at the snake, pegging it in one of its two heads. While it was distracted, she raced forwards and vaulted over the snake, its head snapping at her she hung a left and sped off "Is it still following us?"

"Yes! Akko what are you doing?"

"Trust me!"

Diana sighed. What choice did she have?

Akko continued to run. Finally, she hung a right and Diana realized where they were, and what Akko's plan was. The shorter girl ran right at the pit she had almost fallen into earlier and jumped clean over it, sticking the landing and managing to keep going. She got a few feet ahead before turning in time to see the snake start to try and go over the pit, but realizing too late it couldn't get over. It fell down the hole with a final angry hiss.

Akko stood there panting, not quite believing that worked.

Diana couldn't either "That worked?"

Her partner stood looking at the pit, a bit dumbfounded "Yeah. M-maybe we should go before it grows wings and comes flying at us."

"I doubt it would- you know what, perhaps we should keep moving." It sprouted two heads. Who knew what else it could do.

(~*~*~*~*~*~)

Arya and Trixie rounded a corner and almost crashed into Akko and Diana. Akko fell and Arya staggered but managed to stay upright.

Trixie held out her hand and helped the meister up while Diana changed into her human form "Where's Azusa?"

The redhead shook her head "She stayed behind to give us time to get out. Cerces dead but the other witch, the one who's running the show, she's alive and even stronger. We need to get out and get help."

"Akko figured out how to contact Lord Death from here. Back up will be arriving tomorrow."

Trixie and Arya looked at each other, and that's when Akko noticed who Arya was carrying

"Professor Ursula!"

"A...Ak-ko…." Ursula's weak voice sounded from behind Arya. Trixie went behind Arya, and helped her get the meister off her back and set her down gently against the wall. The raven-haired meister winced and instinctively wrapped her arm around her side while Akko came over and knelt next to her.

"Professor…"

"Akko...you shouldn't… have come after us." her voice was quiet and hoarse. She was clearly in pain.

"I know but I didn't want you to die! I heard Professor Orix say they wouldn't send anyone for a week!"

"You-you could die in here."

"But so could you!"

"I'm not t-that-" she started to cough and then groaned in pain.

Trixie knelt and gently touched her sides "There's swelling. We really need to get her out o' here."

Arya nodded "Akko, I want you to try and run point with Trixie while I carry Ursula out."

"But- I don't know if we can work together. We worked that one time but this is going to be long term and I don't know if I can do it long term."

"You need to try and make it work, alright? That's part of learning to be a meister, learning to flex with all different types of souls." Arya gave her a soft, reassuring smile before taking the scabbard off her back and tossing it to Akko. Then Trixie helped her get Ursula back on her back "Use that to hold on to Diana. Stay sharp, stay alert and think. You can do this."

Akko nodded. The reassuring words from her mentor made her feel better. She didn't question if she felt Akko could do it. She stated a fact. A simple fact that sounded as sure and confident as saying there were stars shining in a clear night sky. Everyone had always told her they wouldn't pair with her, she was too hard to work with, too out of control. She couldn't count the times she was left without a partner during Battle Arts class, back before she met Diana, because of it. Then she met Diana, but even that relationship had been forced a bit by Professor Ursula.

And now here she was with a professional team saying that they knew she could do it. Any shadow of doubt vanished from her head and she burst into a confident grin as Diana came forwards "Akko.."

What did she say? They were headed into the last leg of the mission. And this would be the most dangerous part. She didn't like the fact that she wouldn't be actively protecting her friend and partner ether. But before she could open her mouth Akko was taking her hands and pulling her into a hug "Don't worry, we can do this!"

"I know I just- please be careful Akko. And make sure you mind your footwork."

"Yes Diana."

"And make sure to keep your elbow up when you're firing. If it drifts down your aim will be off and you'll miss."

"Diana-."

"Also, Keep your bow arm straight and your elbow rotated correctly or the string-"

"Diana!" Akko cut the blonde off. She reached out and took her hands "You make it sound like I'm going off to war! I'm going to be right here, and you'll literally have my back. I've got this!"

Diana sighed "Just, be careful. Alright?"

"Of course! Aren't I always?"

The small joke caused Diana to smile a little and relax "I believe in you Akko. That's our magic right?"

With that Diana changed in a flash of light, landing in her meisters hand. There was a moment where she felt the comfort of Akko's grip, and then she sheathed her and it was gone.

Meanwhile, Trixie helped Arya get Ursula on her back before changing and landing in Akkos hands.

"Ok Akko, turn yer body sideways, feet shoulder-width apart. Now stand up straight and pull back the string, elbow up, good. Now let the arrow form, don't fight with it. Great job, now comes the hard part. Pull the string back and fire a practice arrow down the hall. It's going to feel a wee bit odd since the arrows are made of highly concentrated soul waves but ye'll adjust quickly. "

Akkos eyes widened as an arrow shimmered into existence, glowing with a very soft purplish pink light, versus the gold Arya always had. She loosed the arrow and felt a slight pop deep down inside her as the arrow left the bow and flew down the hall and out of sight.

Arya nodded approvingly "She's got it let's go."

Akko hesitated "Uh, which way?"

Arya looked around "You know I'm not totally sure. I was following Trixie."

"You dolt I was following you!"

" What do you mean you were following me I wasn't running point!"

"You always run point! Even when yer not running point yer running point!"

"Well, this time I wasn't!"

Diana sighed "So we're lost."

Akko nodded "I think so."

The blonde looked around "Ok. Well we know to stick to hallways without dust, they're the frequently used ones. I suppose we can follow the body trail from the guards we've dispatched along the way. "

"Aye, that's our best bet."

Akko started forward, keeping Trixie drawn and ready. Once in a while they ran into a guard, but dispatching them was easy.

Easy but different. She felt safe holding such a powerful weapon, but she didn't give her the comfort and confidence that came with Diana. Yes, she was slung across her back and within arm's reach, but Akko still didn't feel right. It was like something was missing.

They were just about in the middle of the hall when suddenly the wall blasted open, sending rock and rubble everywhere. The girls skidded to a halt and tried to figure out what had just happened. That was when Akko saw a glint of metal half buried under the rocks. She dropped Trixie and ran forward before beginning to dig. Soon she was pulling out a crossbow and scrambling back off the pile.

Looking over she saw a hole in a wall, and the wall on the other side of the room, and another hole, and another. Phrike had blasted Azusa threw the wall of the throne room, then the two rooms on the other side of that and into the hallway they were standing. Azusa had changed in order to avoid damage.

Meanwhile, Arya walked up to the part of the wall still standing and pressed her back against it before cautiously poking her head around to look through "Trix!" Phrike wasn't done fighting. Arya could just make her out through the gloom.

Trixie changed and got next to Arya, who moved back so her partner could look "Oh now wha- bloody hell here give me Ursula!" The redhead took Ursula from Arya, who in turn went over and took Azusa from Akko "Are you ok? Can you fight?"

The Death Scythe voice was weak but firm "Yes. Can you?"

Arya nodded "Girls go with Trixie and Ursula, she'll help you get out. I'll be right behind you."

Rather than run though, Akko took her place next to Arya and drew Diana "We won't leave you." No communication was necessary. On this, Akko and Diana were of one mind.

"Neither will we." their heads all turned in time to see Trixie setting Ursula down at her own request. She leaned against the wall and Trixie changed, landing in her hand "If you die...we wouldn't get out anyways. I'd r-rather die fighting. H-here, take your partner quickly."

Arya nodded and tossed Azusa to Ursula, who then tossed her Trixie "Ready?"

"Aye, for now. Let's rip her a new one shall we?"

Arya drew her bow "Aye."

This was stupid. All six of them knew it. But they also knew the others were all too stubborn to change their minds. After all, this is what they were trained to do. Kill witches. Stop the creation of kishins. Save the world. They all knew the risks of the job, they all signed on anyways.

Mist started to fill through the holes in the walls as the dim light grew dimmer still and a chill seemed to settle over the group. Then a pair of red eyes appeared in the gloom and began to almost glide towards them.

Somewhere in the back of Ursula's head, she remembered a quote about not firing until you see the whites of their eyes.

Diana could hear her blood pounding in her ears.

Arya set up a three arrow spread.

Akko's stomach growled.

There was silence as the eyes stopped moving. There was a crackling noise and suddenly the witch was illuminated by two balls of blue electricity, one in each hand and a wicked grin on her face.

Three arrows and a crossbow bolt flew through the air at Phrike. She twisted sideways to dodge two, then launched the balls of electricity at the other two before taking cover from the next volley.

Arya and Ursula continued to rapid fire at Phrike, keeping her pinned down. Then suddenly some of the rubble began to shake and flew at the teams. Arya ducked a brick and Akko actually managed to use Diana to deflect one. Rubble continued to fly, causing Akko to dive away from the hole before a particularly large rock flew at her head. Lightning followed the rocks, forcing Arya to move. Ursula managed to get out of the way just in time, but at the expense of aggravating her ribs further. She lay on the ground away from the hole, holding Azusa and struggling to sit up and breath.

Meanwhile, Arya was poping around the wall, shooting arrow after arrow through the hole and trying to dodge lightning and rubble at the same time.

Then Phrike laughed "Is that all you've got little meister? Did you forget I watched you fight already? "

"Arya she has a point. Ursula is out of the fight what do we do?"

Arya leaned against the wall, suddenly a little unsure of herself. She couldn't get too close to Phrike and Akko could only attack at close range. They could have someone loop around through the throne room and then attack from behind but Phrike would be expecting that. Unless…

"Akko!"

The young brunette looked across the gap at the older meister. Arya made a come here gesture and then leaned around to fire several shots at Phrike, distracting her so Akko could dart across the opening "Akko, I have a plan."

"Yes!"

"Azusa will lay down fire from here while I creep around to the throne room. She blasted her way from there to here, so I should be able to follow her path. I'm going to lay down fire from behind and pull her attention, making her think I'm using the same attack strategy as before, but what won't realize is that while I'm hitting her with Tri-Axle Razor, you will resonate with Diana and take her out from behind."

"What?"

"You honestly think she's going to forget about a Death Scythe?"

"No. I think she's going to have her attention split down the middle while you move in for the kill."

"We won't let you down!" Akko was grinning from ear to ear, totally confident in herself and Diana. On the other hand, Diana was much less so

"We trust ye both."

Akko nodded while Azusa moved behind Arya to take her place " Ok when I move continue to lay down fire and try to hold her in place. I will be on the other side in under two minutes. Two minutes Akko. That's all. Once she turns around to fight me, you slip up behind her, resonate, and dispatch her. Do not hesitate with that part. Trust me. Do not hesitate."

Arya stepped out of the way before turning and racing off down the hall. Stepping forwards, Azusa changed her arm and opened fire.

She continued to fire, trying her best to keep Phrike occupied. The witch however just laughed at her and threw several balls of electricity at her " Oh what's wrong? Is the big bad Death Scythe too afraid to come out and play?"

"Give it a rest Phrike. I think you're the one too afraid to come out and play!" Azusa snapped back at her.

Diana made a face "Is it wise to provoke her right now?"

Akko shook her head "I don't think so." There was a sudden boom and the wall shook, cutting her off. She stepped back as the wall shook again "What is that?"

There was a crackling noise and then it clicked. Diana understood "Akko move the walls about to-"

There was a huge boom and the wall came down on top of the three.

(~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~)

Arya was on the other side, 20 feet behind Phrike when the wall fell. It almost seemed to happen in slow motion.

"Vip vip viper viper….Viper viper snake vip… Snake snake viper viper!" Phrikes hands began to glow red, then a gust of wind seemed to blow away from her, kicking up dust before hitting the wall next to the hole, right were Akko was hiding, collapsing in right on top of them.

The older meister stopped moving, a rush of cold rolling over her body as raw fear and panic hit her.

Trixie was in shock, but she got it together quicker "Arya move yer arse!"

Phrike turned around "Why so shocked? What did you think would happen? You sent a little student to fight the mighty Phrike and got her killed! This is all your fault! What kind of mister are you? You can't even protect the innocent!" She cackled and then that was it.

Something deep down inside Arya broke. She failed. She had gotten Akko and Diana killed. Possibly Azusa and Ursula too. She was useless as a meister. This witch needed to die. And she would do whatever it took to kill her, regardless of how badly it would injure her in the process.

"What's the matter, little girl? Sad you're playmates are gone?"

"Trixie we're doing it."

"Doing what? Wait no Arya you can't handle it!"

"Lets go! Soul Resonance!"

Arya threw her wavelength at Trixie, who had no choice but to catch it and throw it back at Arya, matching her speed. She was dead set on bypassing Tri-Axle and going to their second stage move. The one they had barely started to work with. The one that almost killed her the last time.

Trixie was forced to match Aryas almost frantic pace or risk seriously injuring her longtime friend. She could feel the connection warbling and fluctuating wildly. Trixie tried desperately to keep it under control but her grip started to slip and soon she lost it.

Everything seemed to slow down as it spiraled out of control. Arya's blood pressure climbed and climbed as her body was put under unimaginable strain. Her heart thundered against the wall of her chest like a drum, reminding Trixie of some sort of sick, twisted heavy metal song.

A wind picked up as the power continued to build in Trixie. Her blood was roaring in her ears, like she was standing under a massive waterfall.

And then it stopped.

All at once everything stopped as Arya suddenly went limp and fell to the ground. Trixie fell from her limp hand and hit the floor with a clatter as her meister hit the ground. She changed back and frantically checked for a pulse, yelling out words she didn't even hear.

There was nothing.

No pulse.

No breath.

Trixie started chest compressions but it was all in vain. She was gone. Her heart had given out. She was still screaming but there was nothing Trixie could do.

Arya was dead.


	30. Chapter 30

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! So, considering how the last chapter ended, I thought I would update a little quicker this time! Hope you guys all enjoy it!
> 
> As always, a thank you to ImagineryEngineer for betaing for me!
> 
> Also, a big thanks to DaniKairyu, Tsuukiyomi, Alscora, Avvet, Jasper, and shelbyfish for the feedback and reviews! Always appreciated!
> 
> And on a side note, feedback is something I always appreciate. Positive or negative. If you have feedback or opinions you want to share with me, totally go for it, man!

Chapter 30

Akko stood in the middle of the hole in the wall, fairly confused. Something had just happened. In the span of roughly five seconds Phrike cast a spell, Ursula had passed out and Arya had just stopped moving altogether. She stood there, staring straight ahead before dropping to her knees as tears began to stream down her face. Trixie slipped out of her hand and just fell to the ground, lying still in her weapon form.

She turned to Azusa for answers, but the Death Scythe was lying on the ground as well, seemingly passed out.

This was bad. Really bad.

"Well little meister, looks like it's just me and you. I must say I'm impressed the spell didn't work on you. You must be too young to have a major trauma or too pure of heart. I really hope it's the former because the ladder makes me sick."

"What? What are you talking about? Diana, what's going on any idea?"

There was no response. Akko frowned and looked down at the sword in her hand "Hey Diana come on!"

"Don't bother. She's under my complete control."

Akko ignored her and started tapping on Diana's blade "Come on Diana snap out of it! I need you!"

It didn't work, however. Diana stayed silent. Her face didn't even appear in the blade. Not knowing what else to do, Akko hefted her sword and took her stance. The witch just cackled "You really think you can beat me? One little meister? Oh, that's rich. Here, I'll give you one free shot. Go ahead."

The naggy voice in Akkos head, the one that sometimes sounded just like Lotte or even Diana, was waving all kinds of caution flags. That didn't stop her, however. Akko charged forward, ready to run Phrike through. However, the witch just laughed again. She didn't even cast a spell, she instead simply stepped aside at the last minute and held out her foot. Akko tripped right over and tumbled to the ground, hitting her head on the stone floor in the process. Everything went fuzzy and she started to see stars.

Phrike cackled as Akko struggled to get up, wobbling a bit before finally managing to stand up straight "Congratulations, you fell for the oldest trick in the book! Is that all you've got? Because if it is I'd like to finish this rather quickly. I have a date with a titan after all."

Akko closed her eyes and tried to touch Diana's soul with hers, to get her partner to wake up. Instead of making contact, however, she hit some kind of wall that threw her back. Redirecting her focus, Akko started to throw herself at the wall with everything she had. Over and over and over.

Wake up! Diana come on wake up!

Not knowing what else to do, Akko redoubled her efforts. Finally, after the twelfth attempt, she threw herself at the barrier and broke through.

(~*~*~*~*~*~)

Akko found herself elsewhere else very familiar. The room had a reserved, simple elegance to it, with warm tan walls and chestnut furniture. There were bookshelves along the walls and a big desk in one corner in front of a large window. To Akkos right was a sliding glass door that led to a balcony overlooking a big lake. To her left was a big canopy bed occupied by a young blonde girl engrossed in an old book. Akko knew exactly who it was, the tea green highlights in her hair were unmistakable.

"Diana!" Akko ran towards her, but she didn't look up. Even when she came forward and waved a hand in Diana's face, nothing happened. Apparently, Akko was just along for the ride.

There was a knock on the door and Diana perked up as it opened, only to fall back down into a look of disappointment as a younger version of Daryl Cavendish walked in. She was unaccompanied but what caught Akkos attention was the slight redness in her icy blue eyes. It was like she had been crying a little but managed to cover all the other signs up. If you didn't look hard, you wouldn't know.

Diana closed her book "Any word from Mother or Adele?"

Daryl looked at her sadly and actually sat on the bed, but rather than look at Diana she seemed to be intent on examining the ring on her finger "Diana, we just received word from Lord Death."

The younger blonde perked back up "And?"

Her aunt was quiet for a minute "Their bodies were found in the mountains south of Kylesku in northwestern Scotland. I'm sorry Diana but it appears she was killed by a witch, along with Adele."

There were a few beats were Diana was silent, processing what her aunt had just said. Finally, she shook her head "No, that's impossible. Adele is a three-star meister and Mother is a Death Scythe. There must have been a mistake."

Daryl shook her head "There is no doubt it's her. They brought her back to Wedingburgh last night. I went out this morning to identify her."

She finally looked up at her niece and went to take her hand but Diana scrambled away, tears in her eyes "You're lying! She promised she would come home, and she doesn't lie!"

Her aunt stood up "Diana this isn't a joke. Honestly, I need you to act your age for a change and stop this nonsense."

Akko watched as they glared at each other from across the bed. Finally, Diana's bottom lip started to tremble. Daryl sighed and turned away "When you're ready, I'll need you to meet me in my study. There is legal work that needs addressing." The older woman left the room, leaving behind Diana and a heavy silence.

The little girl stared straight ahead for a second before the sobs started to slip out. Her knees gave out, and she dropped to the floor, head bowed and tears falling hard and fast.

Akkos heart broke as Diana wrapped her arms around herself and cried harder. This was the most traumatizing moment of Diana's 16 years of existence. This was the moment that kept her up at night and haunted her dreams.

Not being able to take it anymore Akko went and knelt next to the younger version of her partner and tenderly reached out to touch her shoulder.

Her hand made contact, however, Diana must not have been able to feel it because she didn't move or acknowledge the touch. Needing no further motivation, Akko wrapped her arms around Diana, stroking her hair while she cried. She knew the blonde couldn't feel it but it was too hard to watch and not try to do something.

She needed to get Diana to wake up. She needed to snap her out of it "Diana come on. This isn't real. You already went through this and came out stronger."

Nothing happened though. The little girl continued to cry, her sobs cutting through the silence in the room. Akko let go and stood up "Come on snap out of it! We need to face Phrike!" she looked around at the ceiling "Diana I know you're there! You are stronger than this! Please, you need to get it together! I can't do this without you! I need my partner! I need you!"

There was a hint of desperation in her voice. All she could do was hope that Diana, her Diana, heard her and could pull out of it.

She started to pace, frustrated and concerned but stopped when the floor seemed to shift. Looking up, everything seemed to blur a bit. The next thing she knew the room went black.

(~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~)

Akko came to and looked around. She was back where she started, the underground labyrinth in Greece. Phrike was gone, however, and none of the others seemed to have been able to break out of it.

Finally, Akko pulled her attention back to Diana, who was now kneeling in front of her like Arya. Her eyes looked distant, like she was in some kind of trance still, but before Akko could start to panic Diana's eyes widened and she gasped for air, like she had just broken the surface of a pool of water she had been submerged in for too long. She looked over at Akko and opened her mouth but before she could say anything the meister hugged her tightly, almost knocking her over off of her knees and forcing Diana to throw out her hand to catch herself.

After righting herself, Diana hugged Akko back and held on. Neither one had to say anything, the young meister understood what had just happened to Diana and how badly she was hurting.

Finally, after a minute the blonde pushed back from Akko, an odd look on her face "We need to find Phrike."

"What? But Diana-"

"Akko we have work to do."

"I know but Diana you just relieved-"

"Akko stop!" she had a sinking feeling Akko wouldn't, however. Knowing now wasn't the time or place she decided to hopefully at least put off the barrage of questions "After, ok? If you really want to talk about it we can do it after but right now we have a job to do."

Akko nodded, a little surprised she got that much out of Diana. She stood, then offered her hand out. The blonde looked at it, then changed and landed in Akkos hand "Should we try to get the others to wake up?"

"I don't think we have the time. It's up to us now."

Akko nodded "Right. Throne room?"

"Most likely. Let's go."

Akko ran forwards and then stopped. She went back over to Arya and knelt before setting Diana down and reaching out to undo the sword belt around the older meisters hips. From there she buckled it around her own hips before picking Diana back up and standing "Alright let's go!"

Diana didn't argue. They would need all the help she could get.


	31. Chapter

Chapter 31

The throne room was freezing cold, to the point were Akko could see her breath. Her footsteps echoed across the cavernous room as she carefully picked her way around debris and moved towards the center of the room. It was quiet, so much so that her ears were ringing. The room was lit only by glowing runes etched into the floor around the barrels in the center.

As she approached, Akko held Diana at the ready, her hand shaking just a little. Finally, she found her way to the middle of the room, stopping just short of the rings of runes. Looking around, she kicked a rock towards them and braced for the worst.

Nothing happened. The rock bounced over the glowing red runes like they weren't even there. It was encouraging, but Akko still hesitated "What do you think Diana?"

The weapon was silent for a minute "Proceed with caution."

"Right." Akko went to step forward but stopped "How do we get rid of the blood?"

It was a really good point "Well, I would presume the barrels need to be in the circle to be part of the ceremony. So perhaps if we simply roll them out it would be enough."

Akko nodded and went to step forward, but stopped again.

"Akko?"

"I don't know Diana. I have a really bad feeling about this."

"As do I, but what other option do we have?"

"We could get a really long stick."

"And where do you propose we could look?"

Akko looked down at Diana. There was a pause as she mulled things over and then a grin spread across her face,

"What are you- Akko you can't be serious."

"You're fifty-three inches long! You can reach!"

"Fifty. And I would most likely puncture the wood."

She had a valid point. Akko would just have to walk into the circle and move the barrels herself. She lifted her foot and went to step in.

"You should've run."

Akko looked up and pulled her foot back. Squinting through the gloom she could make out a pair of glowing red eyes. They seemed to glide forward as Phrike stepped out into the dim ring of light cast by the runes. In the light, her skin took on a pale, almost gray hue and her face became gaunt. She looked old. Old and worn.

But her eyes had a fire to them. An anger. Hatred. And insanity. A wild, crazed insanity, unlike anything either girl, had ever seen before.

Akko tightened her grip on Diana. "We don't run from a fight."

"Very noble of you. Standing up to the big bad witch. Are you prepared for this, little meister? Are you prepared to feel your bones break and skin tear? Are you ready to watch the blood flow from your body like water from a broken pipe? Tell me, are you prepared to die?"

Akko felt a chill run down her spine at Phrikes words. She opened her mouth to reply but Diana beat her to the punch. "We are. However, we won't be the ones to lose our lives here today. My name is Diana Cavendish,"

Akko caught on. "And my name is Atsuko Kagari. And as a meister and weapon team under orders from Shinigami-Sama-"

They continued on together. "We hereby claim your corrupted soul!"

Akko hefted Diana and charged forward across the circle, vaulting over a barrel and running at Phrike with Diana at the ready. Phrike went to move to her right but Akko anticipated that and moved with her, forcing the witch to move again. She held out her hand and started to form a ball of fire but Akko lunged with Diana, again forcing Phrike to move and breaking her concentration, dissipating the spell.

"Good job Akko keep her off balance!" Diana couldn't help but be proud of Akko. She was keeping her form, watching her footwork and keeping Phrike off balance.

"Yes yes, let's gang up on the witch! That's what I hate about you meister teams! It's always two on one! You all cheat!" Phrike zigged left when Akko zagged right, then hip checked her, sending her to the ground. She rolled as Phrike formed a fireball and threw it at her, missing her by inches. The meister tried to get her legs under her and just managed to get up and away before another fireball flew at her, ducking her head in the process.

She sprung back up in time to get hit in the shoulder with a large piece of broken rock magically thrown by Phrike. Akko cried out as the momentum knocked her back a few feet and to the ground, the impact stunning her.

"As I said, little meister, broken bones and torn skin. Vip vip viper viporium!" The rock lifted up again and moved to hover over the still stunned Akko.

"Akko move!" Akko tried to move but she was still dazed. She closed her eyes and braced for the worst. The rock dropped.

There was a sickening crunch followed by a cry of pain. It didn't make sense to Akko though. Nothing hurt, other than her shoulder, but the sound hadn't come from her. She opened her eyes and looked around, and then felt her heart stop.

Diana was on the ground next to her, her right hand and wrist pinned under the large rock. Apparently, she had grabbed it as it fell but hadn't been able to stop it completely. Instead, as she had pulled it off to the side as it had fallen, the momentum catching her arm between the rock and the stone floor.

Phrike cackled as Diana struggled to remain calm. Akko tried to sit up and help her partner as best she could. Finally, she leaned back and used her leg to kick it off. Diana cried out again as the rock rolled over and off her injured hand. Her hand and wrist were crushed. She tried to move it but there was no response. From mid forearm to all but the tips of her fingers it was useless.

Akko looked at it, completely dumbfounded. "D-Diana…"

The blonde's eyes were closed and her head turned away from Akko. When she spoke it sounded like she was speaking through gritted teeth "Not now...focus…"

"Can you fight?"

Diana just nodded. Akko was still concerned but decided to let it go. When Diana made up her mind, there was no changing it.

Akko held out her hand and Diana went to change. Nothing happened. The two sat there as time moved on, neither girl moving. Finally, Diana let her breath out and opened her eyes, seeming to shrink in on herself.

"Diana?"

"Perhaps- perhaps now would be a good time to- to consider a tactical withdrawal from combat."

The brunette blinked, totally confused "What?"

Phrike snorted "She means run you dolt."

"Oh. OH!" Akko reached over and tried to help Diana up. She wrapped her arm around Diana's smaller waist and got her feet under her. She was almost up when she heard a crackling noise.

Phrike laughed "Let's just finish this, shall we?"? I'm afraid I'm becoming quite bored, and I have plans." She cackled and held out her hand's palm up, two balls of electricity resting in her hands.

The girls stood there. It was game over. They were about to die.

Diana drew herself up and prepared to die as Phrike pulled her arms back and threw the balls. Just a few seconds and maybe, just maybe, she would get to see her mother again.

Then she was falling sideways and Akko was on top of her. Before she could process what happened, Akko was gone again. Diana became aware of a sharp pain in her head and realized she must have hit her head on the ground. Everything sort of blurred as she watched Akko disappear from her line of sight, then pop back in with the rusted, old xiphos that had been hanging in the scabbard on her hip. She watched as Akko ran at her and tried to fight but couldn't get close enough. Diana had to pull through this. She had to.

She closed her eyes and tried to find the power. The ability to change that had always been there. But rather than find it, all she found was a wall. A barrier between her and her birthright as a Cavendish. A barrier that had been the bane of her existence for years that made it incredibly difficult to be who she was meant to be.

She tried to focus on breaking down the barrier but a sudden cry of pain broke her focus. She opened her eyes in time to see Akko get hit in the chest with a ball of electricity. The force of the impact sent her flying back across the room and onto the ground. She skidded several feet and came to a stop just two feet from Diana, lying still except for the occasion spasm caused no doubt by the electricity.

"Ak...ko…" Diana could hardly hear her own voice as she reached out to her partner, managing to bend the otherwise useless appendage at the elbow.

There were footsteps as the witch walked up to her "Stupid girl."

Then she stepped on her outstretched right hand, crushing it further. Diana screamed in pain as Phrike twisted her foot back and forth a bit before removing it, then bent down and grabbed Diana by the neck, lifting her up until they were eye to eye and the blonde's feet where dangling. "You don't learn, do you? None of you. Sometimes it's better to just stay down."

She squeezed harder and Diana's vision blurred harder. She couldn't breathe. "You said you where a Cavendish, right? Your family name is infamous you know. I can list off quite a few witches who would love to be in my place right now. I suppose I'm quite lucky, getting to watch the life drain from the eyes of Bernadette Cavendishes daughter. I know one in particular who would have loved to get her hands on a Cavendish. I'll have to be sure to mention this to her, rub it in a bit. I'm sorry I'm being rude. You must be in pain. I'll cut the monologue short."

"Y-yeah, you will."

Phrike turned her head as Akko, on her knees, struggled to get up. The witched used her free hand to create a fireball and prepared to throw it at the meister.

All it took was the thought of Akko being in danger and the fury that came with Phrike throwing her mother's name around, for Diana to find the strength to finally break through the wall and tap into her powers. She changed and slipped out of Phrikes grip, changing human again just before she hit the ground. From there she kicked off the ground and changed back into her weapon form and landed in Akkos hand. Phrike threw the fireball but Diana made it just in time. Akko used the blade to block the fireball, turning her head to avoid burns.

Then she put her other hand on Diana's hilt and spread her feet to shoulder width apart. Both girls were in considerable pain, but they were both tuning it out so they could finish the job "Ready Diana?"

"Born ready."

Akko nodded, and they both said in unison "Let's go! Soul Resonance!"

Akko reached out with her soul to Diana and they formed a link. Then Akko threw her wavelength along the connection to Diana, who caught it and threw it back. After everything, they had gone through, she wasn't afraid anymore. They could do this. Akko could handle it.

They continued to exchange wavelengths, building up power. Finally, Diana felt her form change.

Her blade took on more of a taper and developed a groove spiraling around the blade up to the hilt. It took on a tea green glow and Akko realized it looked like a unicorn horn.

The witch froze, looking down at the blade and then at Akko in disbelief. Without another thought, Akko charged forward and ran Diana clean through Phrikes chest. They stood there, Akko glaring and Phrike shocked, before a shock wave caused by the release of power from Phrikes body broke them apart, throwing Akko back and to the ground, and Phrike into the wall behind her.

Diana fell to the ground with a clatter. She'd hardly been there for more than a nanosecond before she changed back and bolted towards the fallen Akko, who was laying on the cold stone floor completely still. She dropped to her knees, skidding a bit as the momentum continued to carry her forwards towards Akkos body. Using her good hand, she pressed her two fingers to the side of Akkos neck, right over the carotid artery. Somewhere in the back of her mind, it registered that her hand was shaking just a bit. "Come on Akko... Don't do this. Please…"

She placed the palm of her bad hand over the back of her good one and laced the fingers together. Ignoring the pain pulsing through her right hand and wrist she began to do compressions on Akkos chest, trying to get her heart pumping again. To get the blood flowing through her body. "Don't ...Damn it Akko come on! You're-you're stronger than this! Don't you want-" Her voice cracked, although from emotional or physical pain Diana wasn't really sure " Don't you want to be like Shiny Chariot?"

She continued to do compressions, counting the correct rhythm under her breath as she tried desperately to get the meisters- her meisters- heart going. It was right around there, through the fog that enveloped her mind, that Diana realized Akko was now so much more than her meister. Akko was her best friend. Her person. The one human being on the planet that she knew she could count on one hundred and ten percent. More so than Merrill or Anna. More so than even Hanna or Barbara. Before Akko, her whole world had been so dull and colorless. Just shades of black and white and grey. And she had been fine with that.

Then Akko came along. And from that moment when they resonated in that classroom, color began to creep into her life. And not just drab, boring blues and dark purples but bright, vibrant reds and yellows and oranges and even pinks. It was like a light had been turned on for the first time since her mother died and that light was dimming out.

And now Diana Cavendish was very much afraid of the dark.

She continued on with compressions, stopping periodically put her ear to Akkos chest to try to see if she could hear a beat. Maybe it was in her head, but it seemed like every time she put her ear to Akkos chest, it seemed just a few degrees colder "Come on... Don't leave me...Don't you dare…"

Panic was setting in as minutes ticked by. She knew that the longer this dragged on, the less of a chance Akko had of having her heart restarted. That was why, when a pair of strong arms wrapped around her and began to pull her away, that she fought as hard as she did. She wanted to get back to her friend. She wanted to save her! She fought hard but the pain in her arm and the pain in her head seemed to reemerge through the haze she was lost in, making it continually harder to fight as her own body seemed to turn against her.

Diana heard familiar voices that, while she couldn't seem to process what they were saying, she could at least identify that they belonged to Arya and Trixie. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she processed that it was good they were ok, but all the forefront of her mind could think of was Akko. Even as her eyes started to close, she just wanted Akko to be ok.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I kinda left it on a cliffie again. Whoops, my bad =P


	32. Chapter 32

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, everybody. This is it, the last three chapters. The usual notes will be left in chapter 34. Enjoy.

Chapter 32

The human heart is arguably the most important, and one of the most infamous, parts of human anatomy. Defined by the Oxford English Dictionary as a noun meaning "A hollow muscular organ that pumps the blood through the circulatory system by rhythmic contraction and dilation. In vertebrates, there may be up to four chambers (as in humans), with two atria and two ventricles."

The heart's sole purpose is to push blood throughout the human body, which in turn brings oxygen and nutrients to other areas of the body. Feeding cells and keeping everything in working order.

No one was more aware of this than EMT certified Trixie. She sat in the waiting room of a local Athens hospital, waiting for her friends to come out of their various surgeries, she herself having next to no injuries.

Young Akko, on the other hand, was arguably the worst off of the group, having taken the equivalent of about two amps directly to the chest. By all means, the girl should have been dead. Or at the very least paralyzed and unable to fight. However, she had managed to get back up, resonate, and kill a witch before her heart stopped beating.

Surviving without a heart was possible in the short term. A person could be connected to a cardiopulmonary bypass machine, essentially a machine that acts as both heart and lungs for a patient. Another option was the artificial heart, however, neither were a permanent solution. They were only designed to tide someone over until they could get their problem fixed. The fact of the matter was, no human could last for long without a heart.

The general consensus was that Diana's chest compressions were what had restarted Akkos heart. However, the beat was still irregular, so once Akko's parents arrived it was agreed she would be fitted with a pacemaker. Her collarbone was fractured as well, but that paled in comparison to her heart problems.

Ursula had her ribs set and internal damage repaired. She'd had a broken rib pressing into her lung but not puncturing it. She had gotten quite lucky with that. A doctor had come out half an hour ago and informed Trixie that Ursula was resting and was expected to wake up any minute now.

Azusa was being treated for several lacerations as well as having the damage to her hand repaired. It would take time, as the nerve damage was severe, but she was expected to recover. Meanwhile, Arya was being treated for the burn on her face as well as psychological damage from Phrikes spell. It had bothered the others, but not as bad as it bothered Arya.

Lastly, there was Diana. While the rest of her was fairly alright, Diana's right hand and wrist were damaged almost beyond repair. Like with Akko, they called her family in because she was a minor. However unlike Akko, no one came out. Instead, they received a fax containing legal documents allowing them to do whatever they deemed medically necessary and in Diana's best interest. However, there was also a note threatening "The wrath of every member of House Cavendish, including but not limited to all of her cadet branches, allies, and associates. As well as the personal fury of Daryl Cavendish should any further harm come to Diana."

It impressed Trixie how Daryl could terrify a room full of people without even being there. She'd never met the woman, but she had heard the stories. It sounded like she could give Arya's mother a run for her money. And that was saying something. Eventually, the doctors agreed on a course of multiple repairs and reconstructive surgeries on her hand, followed by several months of physical therapy. However, despite all of that, they were unsure if she would ever regain more than 60% of her hand use back.

Trixie sighed and stood, suddenly feeling confined and needing some fresh air. She was on her way out the door when she accidentally bumped into a doctor with swept back lilac colored hair "Pardon me ma'am."

The woman looked at her with a kind smile "Oh no its ok. I wasn't paying attention. Are you alright?"

The redhead nodded " Aye, thank ye ma'am."

The woman laughed "Please, call me Croix. Or even Dr. Meridies. Just not ma'am. It makes me feel old."

For the first time in what felt like years, Trixie smiled. Which was exactly what the other woman wanted. They exchanged a few more pleasantries before Trixie left to take a walk and Croix continued on her way to the break room.

She navigated her way through the labyrinth of hallways and corridors with ease until she finally came to the break room.

She was about halfway through making a cup of instant ramen when one of her colleagues came in and plopped down in a chair "Bad day Alec?"

The man nodded "I just did four surgeries in a row, the last one being that pacemaker case you helped me with."

Croix nodded "How did that go?"

"Well. The alterations you made to the design were right on the money, it fits and functions perfectly."

"I'm glad to hear it. Please let me know if any problems arise."

Alec yawned and stretched "Would you like to take the case? I'm overwhelmed as it is, and you would know what to look for as far as device performance better than I would."

Croix mulled it over. She really wasn't wild about the idea of treating a meister, but she was just a kid. Just some stupid sixteen-year-old girl who got caught on the wrong end of a mission that wasn't even hers and almost paid for it with her life. It was so unfair, and Croixs heart ached for the kid." Is her weapon partner here as well?"

"Yes. She's still in surgery. The bones in her right hand and wrist were practically obliterated. She's going to have a rough recovery."

"Who's her attending?"

"Torres, so she's in good hands."

"Mmmm" Croix slurped her ramen thoughtfully. Her mind was about made up. Not only was the poor kid out of the game with a messed up heart, but her partner who, if they were like most other mister/weapon pairs, was a very important person in her life, had a horrendous orthopedic injury that would change both of their lives forever. If the weapons hand didn't heal right, there was a chance the young girl couldn't fight anymore. Croix had seen weapons receive grave injuries and have it negatively affect their ability to change forms. If that was the case with her patient's weapon, then the partnership would be broken up. And while she couldn't control that, Croix could do her best to fix the young meister and support her through this.

She nodded in agreement, swallowing her ramen "Very good hands. I'll check in on the meister after lunch."

Alec sighed and leaned back in his chair "Oh thank you, Croix, you're a lifesaver."

The lilac-haired doctor waved her hand before starting to pursue another fork full of noodles "I know."

(~*~*~*~*~*~)

At first, all Akko was aware of was black. Her whole world was just black and empty. She felt weightless, warm and contented. She was just...floating. As she floated she remembered the fight and wondered if maybe she was dead. She hoped not though, this would be a very boring way to spend eternity.

She eventually became aware of time moving on because here and there she heard voices. It was hard to make out what they were saying, but she caught words like pacemaker, fractured collarbone, and lucky. She heard the word lucky a lot.

One thing she didn't hear,however, was word on her friends. And that bothered her a lot. Diana had been so hurt, and Ursula too.

Finally, she heard a voice she had been longing to hear. A soft, well-articulated voice that was full of warmth and affection. A voice that made her heart skip a beat.

"... Dr. Torres said I have to have another surgery. It will be the second out of a series of four. I think my hand is going to be more metal than bone by the time they're done Akko. She said she'd prefer to do several short surgeries rather than fewer long ones due to my hemophilia. She thinks it would be better to have me opened up and bleeding less. Honestly, I wish she would just do it all at once and get it over with. I dislike the grogginess afterwards, it feels like I'm stuck in a sort of fog bank. Similar to the thick ones that settle over the moors in the morning back home. You would like it, I think. The way the sun hits the mist in the early morning and reflects off the lake behind the manor is stunning. Maybe, maybe over the summer you can come out and visit for a week or two. We could wander the village and hike the trails in the woods. I'd like to take you riding but somehow I have a feeling you would injure yourself."

"Would...not…" Akko struggled to open her eyes. The first few times were hard, mainly due to the light blinding her. Eventually, she managed to get them opened and was rewarded with the sight of her friend.

She was clean now, and every strand of hair was back in place. Instead of her usual blouse, tie and vest, she was wearing just a plain white tee-shirt. She looked exhausted and had bags under her eyes, but despite all that, her blue eyes were shining with joy, and the smile on her face was huge "Akko!"

"H-hey." Akko was startled by how rough her voice was. Looking down, she realized Diana was holding her hand. It was a little amusing, seeing Diana's porcelain colored hand against Akkos tanner one. It wasn't even like she actually tried to get a tan, Diana just didn't seem to ever pick up color.

She also noticed her left arm was in a sling that prevented it from moving "Sore. Very...very sore."

Diana nodded "The doctor said that its normal. Especially after what you just went through."

"What...happened after…?"

Diana sighed "The others woke up and got us out of there. Ursula had several broken ribs, one of which was pushing against her lung. She's resting now, her doctor said she's going to be fine. Azusa had several lacerations that needed to be cleaned and stitched, as well as nerve damage in her hand that had to be repaired, but she's going to fine as well. Arya… Besides the cut on her arm and burn on her face, she's fine physically. However, mentally Phrikes spell caused damage. Trixie is optimistic, the doctors a little less so. But they are hopeful."

Then she paused for a second before continuing on, her voice a little more reserved "You have a fractured collarbone, hence the sling holding your arm in place. They also... They also had to put a pacemaker in Akko. The bolt Phrike hit you with caused your heart to adopt an irregular rhythm. It was then further agitated by our soul resonance. The stress became too much and it gave out. I did compressions, which restarted it. Arya continued them on the way to the hospital. The doctors waited long enough for your parents to arrive and give them the go-ahead before they did the surgery."

Akko nodded and closed her eyes. It was a lot to take in. There was now a machine in her chest zapping her heart to make it work right. She'd always known that, as a meister, there was a chance she could get hurt but no-

Wait a second "W-we resonated?"

Diana nodded, a look of concern on her face "Yes, we performed a full soul resonance attack. You used me to pierce Phrikes heart, you don't remember any of this?"

Akko shook her head "No. The last thing I remember...is waking you up and fighting...then the rock falling on you…" And in truth even that was fuzzy. The last thing she clearly remembered was Phrikes spell and pulling Diana out of that awful dream "Diana, that dream…"

And there it was. Diana knew Akko would bring it up eventually. It was just in her nature "What about it?"

"Was that- it was real, right? Phrike wasn't making it up?"

Diana sighed and looked down at their entwined hands. She tried her best, but she couldn't keep the melancholy from her voice "No, she wasn't. What you saw was the day I found out my mother had been killed."

Akko squeezed Diana's hand, her heart aching for her friend " Do you want to talk about it?"

The blonde shook her head, still not looking at Akko "What is there for me to say? You saw everything. After I got a grip on myself, I went down to my aunts study. She filled out paperwork setting her as the proxy head of House Cavendish until I come of age at twenty-one. The next few days she handled the funeral arrangements, occasionally consulting me but for the most part I spent the time in my room crying. I believe Merrill spent time with me, her mother for once not stopping her but I honestly don't really remember that particular stretch of time. We buried my mother in the family burial grounds and then the matter was settled. A few years later I enrolled at the DWMA as my mother had wanted and now here we are."

Diana finished her bit, but Akko didn't speak right away. She was too busy putting the pieces together. Diana's father had died when she was five. Six years later she had lost her mother and then five years after that Diana had enrolled. It really put things into perspective for Akko.

Dianas' life was short, and it sucked.

Then before Diana knew what was happening, Akko was half falling out of bed and wrapping her arms around her, yanking on the I.V's and wires hooked to her in the process, causing the machines she was hooked to, and Diana, to panic "No Akko the I.V!"

The meister wouldn't let go though. If she was feeling anything like what Diana was feeling, then it was understandable. And the sniffles that were coming out of her pretty much confirmed Dianas' theory.

Carefully standing, Diana moved closer to the bed, taking Akko with her, easing the strain on the wires and calming some of the machines. She sat on the edge of the bed but even that wasn't enough. Not having a choice, she kicked off her shoes before lifting her legs up and into the bed, sliding her and Akko closer to the middle. The machines finally calmed down but Akko still didn't let go. Giving up, Diana wrapped her good arm behind Akko and let her plaster encased broken arm drape across her partner's stomach. Meanwhile, Akko laid her head on Dianas' shoulder.

They lay there like that for a bit in a comfortable silence, neither one of them thinking. Akkos breathing had slowed as she began to doze off while Diana listened to the steady boops of the heart monitor. The rhythm was strong and steady now, but Diana had been there before they put the pacemaker in. It had been brief, she only had about half an hour before she was dragged off to her own surgery, but she remembered the chaotic boops the machine had emitted before Akko had had her pacemaker put in. It had sounded more like some sort of modernist avant-garde, arrhythmic piece written by some psychotic composer rather than a sixteen-year olds' heartbeat.

Diana was just starting to consider chaining Akko to a pole in order to keep her out of trouble when the brunette chuckled into her shoulder, making her jump.

"Heh, you're a cyborg."

"What?"

"Your hand...it's full of metal.

Diana blushed lightly " heard all that?"

Akko laughed softly "I've never heard you talk that much."

Diana's blush got darker, and she wouldn't look her in the eye. "The nurse uh, the nurse said it might assist you in coming out from under the anesthesia quicker."

"It seemed to help a little. It was like I was...floating. In an empty void and it just...your voice gave me something to grab onto."

Both girls smiled. Akko tried to squeeze Diana's hand but couldn't seem to get too much of a grip. Diana caught on, however, and squeezed back.

They lay in silence for before Akko spoke up "Hey Diana?"

"Yes Akko?"

"You never told me...you have hemo...hemi? What was that word?"

"Hemophilia. It never came up."

"Isn't that where you bleed out?"

Diana nodded "Yes. The condition runs in my family."

"Isn't it dangerous if you get hurt in a fight though? Is that why you were...bleeding still from the wound on your shoulder at Christmas?"

Diana nodded "Correct. It can be, but I take precautions. Also, it's not severe and therefore quite manageable."

Akko nodded and then chuckled "We're a mess, aren't we?"

"Yes. I suppose we are." Diana tightened her hold on Akko a bit as the meister snuggled back into her.

The two both lay there as the full weight of what had happened settled over them both. They had fought a two-headed snake. They had killed a witch. A high-powered, legendary witch. Her right hand was now destroyed, and Akko had almost died. In fact, Akko had died. There was a span of time where her heart had stopped. And while Akko seemed to brush it off, Diana wasn't able to. Akko died.

Akko died.

And that shook her. Badly "Akko?"

"Hmm?"

"Don't you ever pull that again."

"Yeah but Diana we saved the day!"

"Yes and you died Akko! Your heart stopped!"

"Yeah but we killed a witch Diana! We're the youngest team in DWMA history to kill a witch! We're legends already! We stopped her from making a kraken!"

"Titan."

"Titan!"

"Yes but at the cost of your life. Akko it wasn't worth it. What if I hadn't been there to save you?"

"Well…" Akko fell quiet and looked down to the foot of the bed for a minute "I think it would have gone a lot differently if you guys hadn't come. But you did come. And I'm alive. And you're alive, why worry about something that didn't happen?"

Diana sighed and looked down at her mangled arm. Akko had a point, but… "I just don't want it to become a reality. Please, promise me you won't do something like that again. I can't- I can't lose you."

Akko shifted so she was looking at Diana "Hey, look at me."

Diana turned her head and was surprised by not only the fire burning in Akkos maroon eyes, but the proximity of her face as well "I'm not going anywhere. I promise. We're a team and I'm not walking away from that. You're going to be a Death Scythe, and I'm going to save the world like Shiny Chariot! They're our dreams, and we're going to achieve them together! Dying can't even slow me down! I'm too stubborn to die! So you know what? We're going to get better together, and then we're going to go back to doing what we do best!"

"You injuring yourself and me applying antibiotics and bandages while you complain?"

"No! Well yes, but not just that! Catching killers and killing witches! We can get through this, believing is our magic!"

A small, hopeful smile spread across Diana's face "Akko…"

Akko didn't say anything. Instead, she looked at Diana, her maroon eyes shining and full of what the blonde could only identify as love. Then she sort of leaned in a little bit, the bed creaking softly as her weight shifted, but then stopped, hesitating just inches from her face. She had no idea how Diana would react to this, and she was afraid she would ruin things between them, but she also couldn't hide it anymore. Diana was so hard to read, and didn't seem to be picking up any of the hints Akko had tried to leave, not that there was many. For just a beat, they stayed still, their breath mingling. Akko not pushing further, trying to give Diana a chance to back off if she wanted to. However, she didn't. Instead, she leaned in and closed the gap between them.

Then their lips touched, tenderly. They were both shy at first, lack of experience on both of their parts making them quite conservative and unsure of themselves. But then Akkos lips started to move and Diana did her best to mimic the motions. She may have understood the concept of kissing, but when it came to doing it in practice she was a complete greenhorn.

Not that that stopped Akko. She continued to kiss Diana with a surprising tenderness the young heiress didn't expect from her normally over eager meister. She shifted a bit and pressed into Akko instinctively, causing the young woman to tighten her hold on Diana as best she could with her arm in a sling. It crossed Dianas' mind that they seemed to fit together well, like two puzzle pieces designed to click together. She could feel Akkos chest press into hers as it rose and fell with every breath she took and it just made her want to try to get closer.

Eventually, the two broke for air. They looked at each other, panting slightly while Akkos heart monitor tracked her elevated heart rate. They were both smiling, Akko with excitement and pure joy while Diana was still shy. Quite happy and pleased with herself, but still shy.

Trying to be brave, Diana pulled the blanket up to keep them warm and wrapped her arms around Akko as best she could. It was a bit difficult with her cast and Akkos sling, but eventually they managed to settle into a comfortable position that let them get close enough that Akko could hook her index, middle and ring fingers around Dianas, the upper half and tips having been the only part of her hand completely missed by the rock.

They snuggled into each other, finding strength and comfort in the others presence and the closeness of their bodies. They had no idea what would come next, but both felt that they could face it as long as they were together.

(~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~)

Eventually, Akkos nurse came in to check her vitals and couldn't help but smile at the sight. Akko had fallen asleep holding onto the blonde. The one that had been in the room so long, she might as well have been a fixture.

Diana, turned her head at the sound of the door opening, her face heating up when she locked eyes with the nurse.

The woman just smiled, however, and closed the door softly before coming over to check Akkos vitals. Then she went and pulled the blanket Akko had kicked off up over them both "It's chilly in here," She whispered, "Try not to catch a cold."

Diana nodded gratefully "Thank you."

"Your welcome sweetheart. Just so you know, I'll be back in two hours to take her to get a chest x-ray, and her family should be back by then as well."

Diana got the hint "I'll bear it in mind, thank you."...

"Of course. Have you had any word from your family?"

Diana shook her head "No. I don't expect to."

The nurse took on a sad look "I'm sorry. You shouldn't have to go through this alone."

That was when the blonde smiled and looked back over at the sleeping Akko "I'm not."

(~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~)

"Akko!"

Both girls jerked awake at the sudden shout, Akko almost falling out of the bed in the process. Before Diana knew what was happening the bed was being swarmed with people. She took advantage of the chaos to slip out of the bed and into the nearby chair unnoticed as the people began to fuss over Akko. From the way they were talking, Diana could only assume they were her family.

She stood and went to slip out of the room, but they noticed her before she could. "You!"

Diana turned around in time to almost get knocked over the shorter of the two women "You must be Diana! You saved my little girl's life I couldn't thank you enough!"

"Ah- I didn't exactly- it was a team effort, ma'am." She felt her face flush, and she looked desperately to Akko for help. The brunette had the biggest smile on her and was laughing at something her father said before turning to look at Diana. They locked eyes and Diana noticed how much warmth and happiness was in Akkos. Seeing her smile reach her eyes made Diana smile. It also made her heart skip a beat.

Diana forgot for a second that Akkos mom was clinging to her, crying. She didn't even notice the pain in her arm. She was just focused on Akkos smile, and the way she was looking at her.

Akkos aunt caught on to what was going on. And how Dianas' bad arm was pinned between her and Akkos mother "Akane, You're smothering the poor thing."

"Hmm? Oh sweetheart, I'm sorry! Are you alright?" she let go and started to brush the blonde off.

"Yes ma'am."

"Oh enough of that. You can call me Akane! And this is my sister Yori, and my husband Hiroyuki."

" My name is Diana Cavendish. It's a pleasure to meet you." Diana held out her hand and the woman took it, but rather than shake it she pulled Diana into a big hug again, but this time it only lasted a second or two. Then Diana moved on to shake Akkos father and aunts hand before backing up a step "I would like to stay and talk with you all, howeve,r I'm afraid I need to be getting back to my room."

"Aw come on Diana!" Akko whine,d "Just stay another hour!"

"I really can't. The nurse will be coming back to check on me soon and I should be there for that."

"Will you come back later?"

"I think you need to rest today, however I will visit tomorrow. I promise".

The look of joy on Akkos face made Diana smile and question her decision. Maybe she would try to sneak in later after it got quiet. The idea of falling asleep in Akkos arms just...

It sounded wonderful.

(~*~*~*~*~*~)

Meanwhile, down the hall Arya was getting bad news.

"What?" The 75% of her face not covered in bandages had paled to about the color of bandages.

"I tried to stop them they wouldn't listen!"

"So? Why didn't you make them listen Trixie?!"

"I tried lass!"

"Don't you lass me! This is horrible! God I wish Phrike had killed me!"

"Now yer being a drama queen."

"It would have been a kinder fate and you know it!" She tried to get out of bed but Trixie put her hands on her shoulders and pushed her back into bed "Trixie!"

"And where do ye think yer going?"

"Somewhere that's not here!"

"Ye need to calm down lass. It'll only be for a few days and then it's done."

Just then there was a knock on the open door. Trixie turned and smiled when she saw Diana's concerned face in the doorway "I was coming down the hall when I heard shouting, are you ok?"

"Aye lass we're just fine! Come in come in!"

Diana came in. Trixie was sitting cross-legged on the bed facing a clearly upset but otherwise healthy looking Arya. She took a seat in the chair next to the bed "If I may, what's going on?"

Trixie sighed " Well, ye see lass-"

"They called my mother that's what happened!"

The room was silent. Diana was utterly confused, Arya panicked, and Trixie bemused. Finally, it was Diana who spoke up "And this is a bad thing how?"

Trixie spoke up before Arya could say anything "Arya and her mother don't have the best of relationships. She doesn't approve of Arya choosing to be a meister."

"She never fails to remind me of it either. Every mistake I make she blows it out of proportion, and something like this is...Oh my god she's going to have a field day with it!" Arya groaned and put her head in her hands.

Trixie looked at her partner before shaking her head and turning to Diana "So how are ye lass?"

"I'm alright. They're going to do several more surgeries to finish repairing my hand and wrist, and then I'm going to have physical therapy sessions for several more months following that."

"Will ye get full use of it?

" believe I'll be able to regain about 60% use back."

Trixies face fell a bit. Diana was so young, and to have this happen to her now was...devastating. This would cripple her for life. Not to mention multiple painful surgeries and a very difficult recovery. The human hand and wrist were very intricate, with dozens of small bones, nerves and veins making up the full structure. There was a very real chance this injury would bother Diana for the rest of her life. The redhead couldn't help but feel responsible "Diana I-I'm so sorry."

"It's not your fault."

"If I had-"

"It's my fault." Diana and Trixie looked over at Arya. She had a look on her face, one Diana realized had been there the whole time, just repressed "I was running the mission, I was on point, and you got hurt because I was incapacitated. This is my fault. The mission was a disaster, people got hurt, people almost died. P-people did…"

Tears started to roll down her face and Trixie leaned forward to hold Arya while she cried. It was touching, and it showed Diana not only how close the two were, but also how badly Arya was hurting. It was a staunch reminder of how badly missions could affect someone. Even someone as strong as Arya could fall.

She hoped she never had to see Akko go through something like this.

Diana stood up, feeling like she was intruding. She caught Trixies eye and pointed to the door. The redhead nodded, a look of sadness in her eyes that made Diana's heart ache a bit. She went to leave but stopped at the door, her pale hand almost blending in with the off-white paint on the wooden door frame it rested on. Then she turned around.

'Arya, it was my choice. I'm the one who grabbed the rock and pulled it away from Akko. I chose to risk injury in order to protect my meister and given the opportunity, I would repeat my actions without a second thought, with or without someone trying to stop me. Do not blame yourself. You wouldn't have been able to stop me had the opportunity presented itself." She couldn't speak on Akkos behalf, but she could at least try to alleviate the guilt Arya was feeling toward her own injuries.

There was a fierce look in Diana's eyes that impressed Trixie. The young woman had more dedication to the job and her partner than some professionals. She also had compassion, something that a lot of older teams lacked or lost along the way. The fact that this young woman was her pupil, at least for a bit, made Trixies heart swell with pride and put a small smile of her face "Thank ye lass. Really."

Diana nodded politely and left, hopefully, to make it back to her room without another distraction.


	33. Chapter 33

Chapter 33

Three days later and the entire group was gathered around a large mirror situated at the end of the still immobile Ursula's bed. Azusa sat on one edge of the bed while Trixie was on the other. Arya was standing behind Trixie while Diana had pulled the chair next to the bed closer and was perched delicately on the edge. Except for Ursula, they were all in their street clothes.

The only one missing was Akko.

"If she doesn't hurry up she's going to miss the debriefing. She has thirty seconds and then I'm starting without her."

Ursula sighed "Azusa have patience. She's not doing this out of malice, and she may be held up by a nurse or doctor, who knows."

"Lord Death said we would debrief at three. I can't control that Ursula."

"No, but we still have time. As I said Azusa, patience."

The death scythe huffed and crossed her arms, settling in to wait. Three PM rolled around and still no Akko. Or Lord Death for that matter. Diana was about to get up and go get her when the mirror rang. The surface rippled and then suddenly changed to show Lord Death.

He held up his large, white-gloved hand and made a peace sign "Hey hey hey everyone! How are we all feeling?"

Azusa spoke first "All well and recovering sir."

"Glad to hear it! But wait, where's Miss Kagari?"

"Right here Sir!" Five heads turned in unison to see Akko roll into the room. She was in a wheelchair being pushed by a tall doctor with lilac colored hair.

The color in Ursula's face completely drained as her body went cold. This was impossible. What were the odds?

The woman spoke with a calm, cool voice a little lower in pitch but full of self-confidence, almost to the point of arrogance "I apologize for her tardiness, the fault was mine. I had to do an x-ray on her chest, and they were backed up."

Croix came over with Akko and positioned her next to Diana then bowed respectfully to Lord Death "Sir. It's good to see you again."

"Croix Merides it's been too long how are you?"

Croix smiled "I've been well, yourself?"

"Oh just wonderful! How is our Miss Kagari?"

"She's doing well. Her body has accepted the pacemaker, everything is in place and holding, and her clavicle is on its way to healing well."

Lord Death bobbed his head approvingly "I'm glad to hear it! You've done very well with her, I didn't know you had such a talent for medicine!"

Croix chuckled and rubbed the back of her head "I didn't either until I tried sir."

"I hear you designed the pacemaker as well?"

Ursula didn't like where this was headed.

Croix nodded "Yes I did. It's a one of a kind device, designed specifically to address Akkos needs. The battery recharges itself, the leads are reinforced and the box is 40% smaller than other current models. It's designed to take the abuse that comes with being a meister as well as the strain that comes with soul resonance. If she had any other device, she wouldn't be able to continue on at the DWMA."

"Croix you've outdone yourself! You know, we have an opening for a nurse at school. Nigus is standing in for now, but she would rather be in the field as I'm sure you can imagine. It would be nice to have you around again."

Ursula's heart sunk, if it was possible, even further.

Croix was quiet for a minute "Thank you sir, that's a kind offer. I'll have to think it over and get back to you."

"Please do, we would be lucky to have your talent on staff keeping our kids safe!"

Croix bowed again and said something Ursula didn't really hear. The woman rightened and went to leave but not before locking eyes with the older meister. The moment was brief, but just for an instant, Ursula thought she saw a flash of recognition in the woman's teal colored eyes before she left, closing the door behind her.

Akko meanwhile was grinning like an idiot. Her hero's weapon partner was her doctor. Diana had a feeling she would be hearing about it later.

Lord Death cleared his throat "Now, let's get down to business, shall we? First and foremost, I would like to say that I am very glad to hear that you are all safe and sound. Each one of you is a valued member of the DWMA, and your loss would have been mourned worldwide. Next, I would like a full summary of exactly what happened from each of you. Azusa and Ursula you may begin."

The pairs took turns telling their sides of the story, working to paint a clear picture of what happened to Lord Death.

Finally, they concluded. The silence was heavy as Lord Death seemed to mull things over, considering each piece of the story and the actions of the six women. Akko was nervous, knowing she very well could be expelled for what she did. Jumping a mission that was not hers, running unarmed into a witches den, and then not turning back when she was told to, she most likely was going to get expelled for it.

Trixie was also nervous. She and Arya had jumped another pairs' mission as well and people had gotten hurt because of it. They had also brought along a minor who didn't have a meister. Also bad.

After what seemed like an eon, Lord Death finally spoke "What you four did was very stupid. You could have died, and to be technical one of you did actually die. For that, I'm giving you all detention. Miss Kagari and Miss Cavendish, you will have four weeks for not retreating as ordered. Miss O'Connell and Miss Thorton will have it for two weeks for bringing a meisterless underage weapon on a very dangerous mission."

Trixie and Arya exchanged a look "Um, sir we aren't students."

Lord Death looked at them, not saying a word and instead letting the silence speak for him. Arya shifted uncomfortably, suddenly taking an interest in her short fingernails. Trixie watched Arya before half mumbling "Y-yes sir we'll be there."

"Good I'm glad to hear it. Now that that is out of the way, for valor and bravery in the face of danger as well as selfless defense of your teammates, Arya and Trixie you are being promoted to a three-star team. Congratulations."

The two looked at each other and hugged. Diana noticed Trixie was almost holding Arya rather than hugging her, and Aryas' face was buried in her neck.

The death god cleared his throat and pulled everyone's attention back to him "Now. For honor and bravery in the face of the enemy, selfless defense of your partner, outstanding teamwork and dedication to the job, all of which is rarely seen to the degree you displayed in pairings your age this early on, Akko, Diana I'm promoting you both to the rank of one star. Congratulations!"

Akko and Diana looked at each other, pure joy lighting up both their faces, before they attempted an awkward hug, each careful to not aggravate the other's injury.

Lord Death wasn't done "Next, I'd like to discuss teaching arrangements. Ursula, due to your injuries, instead of having you take back over your classes I'd like to have Trixie finish out the year.

Then next year, I'd like to have you, Trixie, teach sophomore Soul Harmonics, and I'd like you to take over Basics in First Aid, as well as a new course I'm introducing called Advanced Trauma Response. This course will be offered to all students, however, will be a requirement for anyone in the EAT program wishing to attempt missions at two stars and above. I believe you, with your background, would be best suited for the position."

Trixie nodded, a smile on her face. "Thank ye sir I-I accept! But what will yet do with Arya?"

"Well, that would depend on what she wants. I can have her co-teach with you, like Nux and Trinity. Or I can assign her a new weapon partner. There are a couple seniors graduating who's partners didn't make it through the program. It's unusual but it does happen. I can assign one to her, I'm sure they'd be thrilled to have a three-star meister work with them, it all just depends on what Arya would like to do."

The room was silent as everyone turned to look at the brunette. When Arya spoke Trixie noticed the trace of anger and hurt in her voice "Thank you sir, I'll look their files over when we come home."

"Excellent! Now, one other thing I would like to touch on. The souls of the witches you killed."

Trixie and Diana both perked up a bit, their hearts in their throats.

"Now, as you both know, to become a death scythe you must consume ninety-nine corrupted soul, plus one witch's soul. And it must be done in that order. However, you do not need to necessarily make the kills in that order. So after several discussions with professors and demon weapons, I've decided that you will not be forfeiting the souls. You both are both going to continue on catching kishin eggs and after you have ninety-nine, you will report to me and I will give you Cerce and Phrikes souls. Is that fair to you?"

They both nodded "Yes sir!"

"Good! Are there any questions?"

There was a silence filling the room, and then, to everyone's surprise, Akko spoke up "What about me and Diana?"

Lord Death was quiet while he mulled things over " Well, you can both attend classes once you're cleared medically. Then Miss Cavendish will continue to work on fixing her arm while you, Miss Kagari, will be paired with another weapon until she's healed."

"Wait what?" Akkos voice had more than a tinge of panic to it.

Looking to defuse the situation Diana put her good hand on Akkos shoulder. "We can discuss it later." she gave it a comforting squeeze and Akko relaxed a bit. Maybe it was her cool, confident demeanor, Akko wasn't sure, but something about Diana always managed to calm her down.

They all continued talking, discussing various aspects of the mission. Hitting on the highs and lows, what worked and what could have gone better. One thing that interested the god of death was Phrikes mind control spell. After Trixie and Akko briefly described what they and their partners had seen and the after effects, he began to discuss possible ways to avoid the spell.

He and Trixie were just discussing a possible route when there was a knock on the door. A second later a nurse poked her head in. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but you have a visitor. I told her you were in a meeting however she was quite insistent."

Arya sighed "Yeah, I'm sure she was. I'll be there in a minute, thank you."

She stood and bowed politely to Lord Death before leaving. As she turned, Trixie caught the look of annoyance and even fear on her partner's face and went to stand. However, Arya caught the movement out the corner of her eye and turned, only to glare and shake her head before drawing herself up and striding out of the room.

As much as she hated the idea of her friend dealing with her mother alone, Trixie stayed put. She knew Arya was going to end up much worse for wear after this, but she also knew how badly leaving to teach hurt her, and she definitely didn't want to make things worse between them.

She just hoped Arya could survive on her own with that woman.

(~*~*~*~*~*~)

Arya walked into her hospital room, almost trembling with fear. She tried to put on a facade, something calm, cool, and collected but when she walked through the door and saw her mother on the other side of the room, looking out the window directly across from her, she felt herself crumble. At Least for a second. By the time the older woman turned around and addressed Arya, her mask was back on.

"I see you're up and about." Her voice was strong, commanding, but also on the softer side, at least for the time being. Arya noted that while she was in black, well pressed dress pants and heels, she lacked her black blazer and her usual grey, black or white blouse was replaced with a green one.

Arya, meanwhile, was in a tee-shirt, dark jeans, and her usual Chuck Taylor High Tops. As per usual, Samantha made her feel like a shabby hobo "Yes, it's something that's kind of required in my line of work."

Sams' heels clicked on the tile as she strode over to her older daughter. She looked her over and then reached on and touched Aryas' chin with a touch that was surprisingly gentle. She turned her head to the side so she could get a look at the bandages on the side of her face, then tisked as she let go "I'm going to have a much harder time finding you a husband now you know."

It was all Arya could do to not groan "Well it's a good thing I don't want one then, now isn't it?"

"Why don't you just come home already? Stop these games and come take your rightful place as heiress to the Thornwood empire?"

"You have an heiress. I want nothing to do with any of it. Why do you think I changed my last name? I have a life, and I'm happy!"

Sam snorted and looked at Arya skeptically "Your not happy, I can see it in your face. You face death every day. How many times now have I gotten a phone call saying my daughter was in the hospital? Five? Six?"

Arya looked down and grumbled something. Sam however wasn't having any of it "What was that? Speak up!"

Her daughter looked up at her "I said they weren't supposed to call you!"

"That's not the point! The point is I don't want you to keep doing this! You should be home with Marcy and I. She misses her older sister, we both do!"

Arya laughed "Please all she really misses is her punching bag!"

The taller brunette scoffed "Arya really!"

"Yes really!" The irritation in Aryas' voice was palpable. The two stood there, glaring at each other for a long time, the silence pressing heavy on them both. Arya wished she could count all the times they had been in a similar situation. Both of them standing there, glaring at each other. Their relationship had gotten so bad. Ever since Arya had said that she wanted to be a meister, their relationship had deteriorated. Up until that point in her life, she had been groomed to take over the family's steel and lumber empire.

Descended from Andrew Carnage, owner of the Carnage Steel empire, the Thornwoods were native to New York. Passed down through several generations, the Thornwood Steel and Lumber empire was going strong. The ultimate goal was to rebuild and surpass Carnage Steel and form a global, multi-billion dollar empire. Now having a firm grasp on the American construction industry, Sam was determined to build the foundation for the firm to go global. Eventually, she wanted to retire and pass the reins over to her oldest daughter.

Unfortunately, her oldest wanted absolutely nothing to do with any of it, choosing instead to become a meister, much to her mother's fury and frustration.

Finally, Arya turned away and crossed her arms "Mother if you're only here to argue perhaps you should leave."

"Arya…" Sam's voice had lost its edge. There was a tenderness to it now, something rarely heard or seen in Samantha Thornwood "I'm sorry. I just worry about you. I'm always afraid every time my phone rings that it's going to be someone calling me to tell me my daughter is dead."

Arya turned back to face her mother. Her mother's face had softened, and the eyes that matched her own seemed to show genuine emotion now. The young woman sighed "I know mother. I'm sorry you're going through that."

Sam put her hand on Arya's shoulder "Why don't you finally end this and just come home? You'll be safe. You'll be in your rightful place at my side, helping to build the largest steel and lumber producing company in the world. And then one day you'll be at its head, building and maintaining your forefathers legacy and making them proud. I miss you. Marcy misses you too. Just come home, we can be a family again. You've made your point, you've avenged Claudine, it's time to come home"

Arya took a deep breath and looked away from her mothers pleading face. She didn't want it. She didn't want any of it. The fact that her mother was acting the way she was aroused suspicion, but then again it felt like things were falling apart. Trixie was going to take on a teaching spot full time, without even stopping to consider how Arya would feel about it. How could she just dump her like that? Without a second thought or hesitation? They were a team, the operative word being 'were'.

She didn't know if she had it in her to start over with another weapon. And besides, the last mission had been a disaster. People had gotten hurt. Akko died and only through a miracle was Diana able to save her life. And that was Arya's fault. Her confidence was gone now. Completely eviscerated. If the mission had gone that wrong with a partner she had for seven years, what would happen when she was paired with a weapon fresh out school without the experience Trixie had?

And then there was Claudine, Aryas' best friend who had been killed by a witch when they were children. She had been abducted and killed, most likely to be used in some spell. However, before it could be performed some weapon and meister team had come in and killed the witch. She still remembered watching the pair receive a medal for bravery from Claudine's family and it was in that moment, right there, that she made up her mind. She wanted to do that. She wanted to avenge her friend and save other little kids from the monsters that go bump in the night. And she had done that, for years. Her mother had argued about it with her long and hard but there was no changing her mind. Arya was every bit as stubborn as her steel fisted mother. And she had a commitment to Trixie.

A commitment the redhead was walking out on.

Arya bit back angry tears and looked back up at her mother "Fine."

In any other situation, the look of shock on her mother's face would have been comical "What?"

"I said alright, I'll come home. I should be getting discharged tomorrow but I assume you can spring me sooner?"

"I- yes of course. I'll go work on that." The shock and surprise on Sams' face and in her voice were very apparent. She had expected Arya to dig her heels in and fight tooth and nail. For her to cave like this was...alarming. As much as Sam wanted her daughter home, she still couldn't help but wonder "Arya, is everything ok?"

Aryas' voice was cool, distant. Very much like her mothers "I'm fine. Can you get me discharged? I'll get my stuff packed in the meantime, and we can get out of here sooner."

Sam nodded, choosing not to look a gift horse in the mouth "Alright."

Trixie rounded the corner into Aryas room, fully prepared for her partner's fury and who knew what else. She got very twisted when her mother was around "Lass I'm sorry I-" she stopped as she looked up. The room was empty. The bed made. Aryas stuff gone.

Arya was gone.

She was still standing there, staring at the empty space, when a nurse came in with a clipboard. She looked at Trixie with kind smile "Did you need anything miss?"

"Aye, what happened to the woman who was in here? Arya Thorton?"

"You mean Thornwood? Her mother said there was a typo on the charts. Anywho, she was discharged early and left with her mother."

The redhead was silent. Arya had just up and left. With her mother. Of all the people, of all the things Arya could have done. This was by and far the most shocking. She'd thrown in the towel and gone home. Arya Thorton was going back to the life she had hated for almost a decade.

"Are you alright miss?" the nurse Trixie had forgotten about sounded concerned. Not being able to find her voice, she managed to at least nod.

The other woman nodded "I'll leave you alone. If you need anything I'll be at the nurses' station down the hall." She left, her footsteps hardly audible.

Trixies heart cracked. This was her fault. This was all her fault "Lass…"

Her voice was hardly above a whisper, but the word still seemed to linger in the air. Not quite an echo but not vanishing, unlike Arya, into empty space.


	34. Chapter 34

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright guys, This is the end of the road.
> 
> By end of the road, I mean for this story. Not the series. Remember that "sequel I have yet to announce" I mentioned a few months ago? Well, SURPRISE! I'm announcing a sequel! I don't have a real name yet, I've been referring to it as "Book 2" when discussing it with ImagineryEngineer, but it will probably be something along the lines of Hearts Eternally Bound, or something to that effect. It's going to be styled the same way the title for Souls is, so you'll know it when you see it! I also do have a tumblr (TheHardestFall67) and if ya'll would like, I'll announce it on there as well. I mostly lurk, but for this I'll make sure I make the announcement.
> 
> Speaking of announcements! keep your eyes peeled in the forthcoming week for a bonus short titled "Akko and Diana's Bogus Adventure." Just a little something to tide you guys over until the next book drops.
> 
> Moving back to the topic of the next Book , If there is ANYTHING you want to see happen or any headcanons you would like to share with me, please do! Sometimes hearing feedback from people helps me write and plot better. (I.E, Daryl was actually going to be the bad guy, but someone told me a headcanon they had for her and I liked it so much I used it, which in turn changed the second half of book one and the whole plot of book 2)and since I'm a wee bit stuck right now, maybe some thoughts from other people might help me unstick myself once again. That being said, feedback in general is also welcomed! Good or bad! It helps me improve a ton!
> 
> Speaking of improvement, I know this fic started out really rough, and to those of you who have stuck with me through the whole thing, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. That being said, my writing has improved by miles (Read some of my most recent stuff if you don't believe me) and that WILL be reflected in Book 2. It will be a better writing style, better grammar and spelling, an understanding of HTML formatting, better everything. I owe you guys the best, and you're going to get it. Promise.
> 
> Still the topic of improvement, I couldn't have done this without my beta ImagineryEngineer. Its been a long, crazy road full of potholes, but shes stuck by me through it all, and I can't thank her enough. She's the reason my writings gotten so much better, and she's the reason this story is coming to a conclusion. Without her, I probably would have given up about a third of the way through. But she smacked me in the back of the head and got me going again, and I'm more dedicated than ever.
> 
> Lastly, I'd like to thank all you for reading this. I do this for you guys, and knowing it's being read and enjoyed is probably the best thing for an author. Its why we do what we do. We tell stories to put a smile on peoples faces and bring joy to their hearts. Knowing I've done that is incredibly rewarding.
> 
> OH One other thing. if you where reading and went, hmm that sounds like a reference... You were probably right. I love lacing references into my writing. A few examples, somewhere along the line I used the phrase "eternal blue sky". that was a nod to Marco Polo on Netflix( whos cancelation I am still mourning, for the record) or the fact that Diana's orthopedic doctor is "Dr.Torres", might make you go "hmm, isn't there an orthopedic doctor named Torres on Greys Anatomy?" The answer is yes and SHE IS MY FAVORITE!! Next to Yang and Lexie. So if it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck, its most definitely a duck. 
> 
> And finally, a thank you to Dani Kairyu, NIKI, Alscora, Potatolyf, Jasper, Breanna, and a very eager annon. for the reviews! always appreciated!
> 
> And P.S, I know I said a week. Its been two. Im so sorry.
> 
> ENJOY!

Chapter 34

That night, Akko wandered into Diana's room to visit her. After the meeting Diana had gone into her last surgery, this time to repair nerve damage. It was late, but the surgery had also run late, and Akko missed her friend.

The room was calm and quiet, other than the steady beep of the heart monitor Diana was attached to. Akko was almost afraid to break the silence and walk in.

However, this was Akko. She came in quietly, almost tiptoeing. As she approached, she started to hear Diana's breathing. It was slower, more relaxed. Like she was asleep.

_She must be under the anesthesia still. Maybe I should come back…_

Watching her sleep, Akko was amazed by just how peaceful she looked. Normally there was a slight crease in her brow, a small frown on her face, and she always seemed to be holding something back. But now she seemed relaxed and at peace, and that made Akko smile softly. Diana deserved peace.

She took a seat in the chair and reached out to take her hand, only to stop when she realized she was on Diana's right, and her arm was in a sling. She wouldn't be able to hold it.

Akko humphed and sat back in the chair and crossed her arms, pouting. She wanted Diana to know that she was here for her, the way she was when Akko had been under. She wanted her to know someone was here protecting her and keeping her safe, so she could rest easy.

As she watched Diana sleep, her thoughts began to drift. She had It'sstarted to doze off when she got an idea.

Standing, she went over and sat carefully on the edge of the bed. Then she kicked her shoes off and slid into bed next to Diana. Carefully minding Diana's injured as well as her own, she wrapped her good arm around Diana and held her as best she could.

They lay like that in the quiet for a long time, Diana sleeping and Akko listening to her soft breathing. Eventually, she started to drift off to sleep, only to be woken up not by movement, but a shift in Diana's breathing and a pick up in her heart monitor.

She opened her eyes and turned her head in time to see Diana wince before opening her eyes. She turned her headI'mand her eyes widened when she saw Akko "Ak...ko."

"Shhh. It's ok I'm right here." She half expected Diana to get upset with her for doing this, but rather than show signs of irritation, Diana didn't fight it. In actuality, she felt too weak. But Akko, not knowing that, smiled and held her friend close "Good morning sleepy head. How are you feeling?"

"Hmm...tired."

"Me too. I couldn't sleep, and I wanted to make sure you were ok."

"It-it was a simple procedure." Diana's voice was beginning to gain strength.

"Yes, but sometimes things go wrong."

Diana struggled to sit up before looking at Akko "You have my word, I'm fine."

Akko nodded before sighing and looking down at her hands. Something was bothering her for sure, but Diana chose to not bring it up "So, did I miss anything while I was out?"

Her partner was silent for a minute "Arya's gone…"

Diana's eyes widened in alarm "What? How she didn't have any physical injuries! She was ruled as non-threatening by a therapist as well!"

Akkos head snapped up "Wait what? No she's not dead! She left. With her mother. Without a word. Trixie think she quit."

There was sadness in Akkos voice, reminding Diana of go much Akko liked Arya "Maybe she'll come back. She probably needed space."

"Maybe…" Akko still seemed down, so Diana decided to change the subject.

"I forgot, I have your jacket."

Akko looked up, confused "Jacket?"

It was all Diana could do not to facepalm "Your varsity jacket? You loaned it to me at the library."

There was a beat of silence before understanding bloomed across Akkos face "Oh! Yeah I remember!"

Diana smiled a little. Akko was a goof, but it was rather endearing "It's in my bag under the bed, if you'd like it back."

Akko carefully untangled herself from Diana and got down to pull Diana's bag out. Opening it, she found it neatly folded and placed directly on top. She pulled it out and placed it on the bed before closing Diana's bag back up and sliding it back under the bed. Then stood and stretched before she took a seat on the edge of Diana's bed.

She picked up the jacket and looked it over, seeming to be lost in thought. Diana let her go for a bit before asking a question that had been burning for some time "Akko, if I may, what sport did you play to earn this?"

Akko looked up "Hmm? Oh I ran track! I was a sprinter. They wouldn't let me do anything else after I almost broke my neck doing hurdles and the shot puts where too heavy for me. My aunt actually got it for me when I told her I was going to school in America, she said that all the really good American athletes have them and that I would have earned these letters if I had attended high school here."

Diana smiled "That was very kind of her."

Akko nodded, a big smile on her face " Yeah, Aunt Yori has always been super nice to me. We get along really well. She's smart too, I think you'll like her a lot!"

That caught Diana's attention. The way Akko phrased that, it sounded like she was assuming they were together now, that they would be spending time with the others' family "Akko, maybe we should discuss things…"

The brunette looked at her oddly "What's there to discuss? You like me right?"

Silence hung between them.

Akko let it go for a few seconds, but the longer Diana was silent, the more unnerved she got "Diana!"

"Yes Akko, I do like you! A lot. Ever since you burst into my life it hasn't been the same and, to be frank, I prefer my life now to back then but you're still... I've never…" She fell silent again, for once unable to articulate what she wanted to say and quite frustrated by it.

She didn't have to, however, because Akko was able to pick up on what Diana was trying to say "You've never been in love before, have you?"

Unable to look Akko in the eye, Diana felt her cheeks heat up from embarrassment as she shook her head.

Akko laughed.

Akko actually laughed at her. Diana looked up, a mixture of lingering embarrassment and anger on her face but before she could say something Akko calmed down enough to say something that actually calmed her down "That's all you're worried about? I thought you actually didn't like me! It's ok don't be upset! We can take it slow for now until you feel more comfortable." Her voice was softer now, a kind smile on her face and her maroon eyes almost glowing with happiness and love "I would never do anything to hurt you, I promise. And if you feel uncomfortable I want you to tell me, alright?"

Diana didn't say anything. Instead, she leaned in and kissed Akko on the cheek "Alright."

"But, there is one thing." Diana watched, confused, as Akko unfolded her jacket and draped it around Diana's shoulders "I want you to wear my jacket. You don't have to wear it in public or anything if you don't want to, but I still want you to wear it."

Akko was grinning her goofy grin, which made Diana smile again as she used her good arm to pull it around herself a bit better. Normally she would argue with Akko about this, but Akko looked so happy she couldn't bring herself to do it "Thank you Akko, I'll take good care of it. And to be clear, just because we can't fight together for the time being doesn't mean we're broken up for good. Once your collar bone and my arm are healed we will be fighting side by side again. And yes, I will still tutor you in your classes. I don't need my meister flunking out on me."

"Ok, I won't flunk out if you promise to get better as quick as you can, so we can get back to work!" Akko held out her good hand like she was ready to arm wrestle. The same position that had gotten them started down this road just a few short months ago.

Diana found herself grinning as she reached out with her good hand and, while it was awkward, they managed to grip each others hand and hold on. For better or worse, they were in this together.

And neither girl planned on letting go.


End file.
